Philip White, Director of Building Safety for HSE, outlined the extended period in a letter to the building control industry in England last week.
The time to complete a competence assessment and register as a Registered Building Inspector (RBI) for building control has been given a 13-week extension period from 6 April to 6 July 2024.
Previously with a deadline set for early April, this registration means that building control bodies and professionals must follow mandatory codes and standards for building control as part of a regulated profession.
The Building Safety Regulator (BSR) oversees building control bodies and said it has ‘listened to the concerns raised by the profession’, including the potential impact on the construction industry if there are not enough inspectors registered to practice by the legal deadline.
HSE said concerns were ‘balanced’ with the requirement for BSR to implement the Building Safety Act 2022 and the need to raise standards in the profession; changes introduced in the wake of the Grenfell Tower tragedy.
In his letter, White added: “Those who meet the criteria but do not successfully complete a competency assessment and upgrade their registration class by 6 July will not be able to continue to undertake regulated building control activities.”
In line with the BSR’s enforcement policy statement and the principles of proportionate regulation, HSE said that the BSR will target its regulatory activity at those who ‘present the greatest risk’.
