Guidance

Registered building control approver assessment criteria

Published 11 March 2024

Applies to England and Wales

© Crown copyright 2024

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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/registered-building-control-approver-rbca-assessment-criteria/registered-building-control-approver-rbca-assessment-criteria

When you apply to become a registered building control approver (RBCA), you must demonstrate your ability to comply with the:

  • Professional Conduct Rules (PCR) in England and in Wales  which set out the standards of professional conduct and practices expected of RBCAs

  • Operational Standards Rules (OSR) in England and in Wales  which set out the requirements an RBCA must comply with when delivering their building control functions

The Building Safety Regulator (BSR) will assess your application against the OSR and PCR and focus on the areas set out in this document.

Management systems

You must demonstrate:

  • suitable and effective operating processes and procedures to perform your building control functions as an RBCA

  • your policies, operating processes, procedures, and practices enable you to comply with the OSR and PCR

Resourcing

You must demonstrate you have: 

  • access to sufficient registered building inspector (RBI) resource of the appropriate class and categories to deliver your building control work

  • adequate management arrangements to deliver your building control work, across the geographical spread of your work

Resourcing: organisational competence and capacity

You must demonstrate you have the necessary organisational competence and capacity, including sufficient class 3 to complete ongoing higher-risk building (HRB) building control work.

You must show that you can maintain this competence and capacity for the duration of projects for which you are the RBCA.

You must demonstrate that any other services you provide will not affect the resourcing and delivery of your functions as an RBCA.

Conflicts of interest

You must demonstrate that any other services you intend to provide will not create conflicts of interest with your functions as an RBCA.

Financial viability

You must demonstrate that you will be financially viable with a structure and resource model sufficient to effectively deliver your functions as an RBCA.

Controlling mind

Your owners, directors, partners and senior personnel must demonstrate honesty, integrity and compliance with their legal, regulatory, and professional obligations under the PCR and OSR. 

When any of those owners, directors, partners or senior personnel are an RBI, they must comply with the relevant code of conduct:

BSR reserves the right to assess your ability to comply with any aspect of the PCR and OSR.

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