The Building Safety Regulator says it will change how it handles building assessment certificates for occupied higher-risk buildings in England, with a more targeted approach while longer-term improvements are developed.
For small firms in construction, property management, fire safety, surveying and facilities services, the important point is simple: the assessment process may change, but legal duties have not been paused. Businesses that support accountable persons still need clean records, clear responsibilities and evidence that safety risks are being managed.
What has changed
The regulator plans to modify how it issues building assessment certificates, known as BACs, for higher-risk buildings. It says the new approach will be more proportionate and targeted, and will offer greater support to resident-led principal accountable persons.
The plan responds to feedback from principal accountable persons, financial institutions and other stakeholders about how the regime has worked since the Building Safety Act requirements came into force for occupied higher-risk buildings.
BSR says the plan will keep legal duties in place for more than 6,000 principal accountable persons and accountable persons across England. It will prioritise applications already being assessed, only call in new applications where necessary until improved processes are agreed, and explore faster reassessments for previously refused certificates once standards are met.
The regulator also says it wants to protect residents and leaseholders from unnecessary or unexpected costs, while continuing to work with government on possible longer-term legislative changes.
Why this matters to SMEs
This is a specialist regulatory story, but it has practical consequences for smaller businesses that sit around the building safety chain. Managing agents, maintenance contractors, fire risk assessors, surveyors, designers, consultants and specialist trades may all be asked to provide evidence, remedial work, reports or ongoing support for higher-risk buildings.
A more targeted certificate process could reduce some administrative pressure over time. But it should not be read as a reason to slow down work on safety cases, resident engagement, maintenance evidence, fire spread risks or structural safety information.
BSR is explicit that ongoing duties remain in place. Principal accountable persons and accountable persons must continue to manage their buildings so residents are safe from the risks of fire spread and structural failure. For SMEs, that means clients may still need timely documents, inspection records, competent advice and properly scoped remedial work.
The announcement also matters for cash flow and project planning. If applications already in assessment are being prioritised, firms working on those buildings may face urgent requests for updated information. If other applications are called in later, workloads may arrive in a less predictable pattern. Smaller suppliers should make sure quotations, timelines and responsibilities are clear before committing scarce staff time.
What small firms should check now
Businesses involved with higher-risk residential buildings should first identify whether any current client is a principal accountable person, accountable person, resident management company or managing agent for a building within the regime. If so, it is worth asking what stage the building is at in the certificate process and what evidence the client expects from suppliers.
Second, firms should check that their own records are easy to retrieve. That includes work scopes, inspection notes, photographs, completion evidence, product information, competence records and any assumptions made in reports. If a client needs to respond quickly to the regulator, messy records can become a commercial problem as well as an administrative one.
Third, SMEs should be careful about the boundary of their role. A contractor asked to provide maintenance evidence is not automatically responsible for the whole building safety case. A consultant asked for advice should be clear about what has and has not been reviewed. Short, plain engagement letters and written confirmations can prevent confusion later.
Finally, firms should watch for updated BSR communications as the foundation plan develops. The current announcement is a direction of travel, not a complete rewrite of the regime. Clients may still need support, but the timing and format of requests could change.
The practical takeaway
The useful message for SMEs is not that building safety regulation is being relaxed. It is that the regulator wants a more proportionate assessment process while keeping the underlying duties in force.
Small firms should treat this as a prompt to tidy evidence, confirm client responsibilities and prepare for targeted requests rather than broad assumptions. For construction and property service SMEs, being organised now may be the difference between a manageable client request and a rushed, costly scramble later.
Sources
Source: Building Safety Regulator announcement on higher-risk building assessments.
