Registered building inspectors

Role of a building inspector

Registered building inspectors carry out regulated building control activities, which are:

• assessing plans
• inspections
• giving advice to building control bodies that carry out regulated functions

Building control bodies

Registered building inspectors work for building control bodies, either as employees or contractors. Building control bodies are:

• the Building Safety Regulator (BSR)
• local authorities
• registered building control approvers

Before you register as a building inspector

Competency assessment

If you want to apply to register as a class 2, 3 or 4 building inspector, you will need to complete an independent competency assessment. If you apply to register without being assessed, you will be registered as a class 1 building inspector and can only work under supervision.

Competency assessments for registration are only valid from approved schemes. You can get a competency assessment by contacting one of the providers of the approved schemes, which are:

• Building Safety Competence Foundation (BSCF)
• Chartered Association of Building Engineers (CABE)
• Total Training Development Ltd

As part of the assessment you’ll need to submit a portfolio of your work and pass an exam or an interview. You must be re-assessed at least every 4 years.

After you complete your assessment you’ll receive a certificate number. You’ll be asked to provide the number when you register, as proof of your assessment.

Registration classes and building categories

You’ll need to decide which registration class you are competent to apply for. There are 4 classes of registered building inspector.

Class 1

Must only work under supervision. You do not have to complete a competency assessment to register as a class 1 building inspector. This class is suitable for anyone new to the profession who is undergoing training.

Class 2

Can work unsupervised on building categories they are registered to work on, which may include:

• category A, a residential dwelling house for a single household, less than 7.5m in height
• category B, residential flats and dwelling houses, less than 11m in height
• category C, residential flats and dwelling houses, 11m or more but less than 18m in height
• category D, all building types and uses, less than 7.5m in height
• category E, all building types, 7.5m or more but less than 11m in height
• category F, all building types 11m or more but less than 18m in height

Class 3

Can work unsupervised on building categories they are registered to work on, which may include category A to F buildings and:

• category G, all building types, including standard and non-standard but excluding high-risk, with no height limit
• category H, all building types, including high-risk

Class 4 technical manager

Technical managers are class 2 or class 3 building inspectors with additional responsibilities for the technical management of teams and processes.

A class 2 building inspector, who is also a class 4 technical manager, cannot carry out any class 3 activities unless supervised.

Someone who is not a registered building inspector can administratively manage a building control team, but not on technical matters.

Code of conduct

As part of your application to register, we’ll ask you to confirm that you have read and understood the code of conduct.

Registering as a building inspector

You can apply to register as a building inspector online.

Registrations will usually be valid for 4 years.

What you’ll need

To complete the registration, you’ll need to provide:

• your name, date of birth and contact details
• your National Insurance number to cross-check with your competency assessment
• the building inspector class you want to register as
• the categories of buildings you are competent to work on
• details of your independent competency assessment, if you have one
• membership details of relevant professional bodies, if you have any
• your employment status
• your credit or debit card details to pay the £336 registration charge

Getting a decision

We’ll review the information you submit in your application and tell you if it’s been approved.

In cases where the application is rejected, we’ll tell you why. You can request a review of your application and, if still rejected, you can appeal to a First-tier Tribunal.

After you’ve registered

Once registered, you must maintain and develop your competence as a building inspector. This means you must:

• abide by the code of conduct
• continue to develop your skills and knowledge, this can be evidenced by maintaining an up-to-date portfolio of work
• complete an independent competency assessment at least every 4 years
• be supervised if you carry out work outside of your current registration class or competence

Progression

If you want to expand the range of work you are registered to do, you can do so by:

• developing your competence within your class, to work across more building categories
• passing an independent competency assessment to change your registration class

Supervision

To gain experience working on tasks outside of your current class or competence, you can carry out the work, but you must be supervised. You must be supervised by a building inspector registered to the appropriate class and competence of the work you are carrying out.

Supervision is managed by your employer. If you are self-employed, you should liaise with the building control body you are working for and arrange supervision from a suitable registered building inspector.

The work you do under supervision is assessed by your supervisor and they are accountable for your work. Employers must have a system in place to make sure all supervised work is up to standard.

Public register

Your details will appear on the public register of building inspectors. The register allows people to verify who is a registered building inspector and the work they are registered to do.

The register shows:

• your name
• if you are employed by a building control body, your employer’s name and address
• if you are self-employed, the business address you submitted in your application
• your registration class
• which categories of buildings you are registered to work on
• the start and end date of your registration
• details of any conditions attached to your registration, such as limits on the type of work you can do

Removal from the register

Your details can be removed from the register if:

• you ask to be taken off because you no longer want to work as a building inspector
• you do not renew your registration before it expires
• you are found to be in breach of your responsibilities and your registration is suspended or cancelled

If your details are removed from the register, we will continue to keep your details in line with our data retention policy.

If you want to take a career break from working as a registered building inspector, you can ask for your details not to be publicly available on the register.

Making changes to your registration

You must notify us within 28 days of any changes relevant to your registration, such as:

• your name
• your home address or contact address
• your contact details
• your employer and employer details
• if you want to change your registration class or categories of work
• any relevant criminal convictions
• if you are sanctioned by a professional body
• if you are declared bankrupt, or subject to other action as detailed in the code of conduct for registered building inspectors
• if you no longer wish to be on the register

You can read more about the rules of registration in annex 3 of the code of conduct for registered building inspectors (hse.gov.uk).

Professional misconduct and complaints

If you are found to be guilty of professional misconduct you could face sanctions. A breach of the code of conduct may be used as evidence of professional misconduct.

You are committing an offence and could be prosecuted if you:

• carry out work that you are not registered to do without supervision
• work as a building inspector after April 2024 without being registered