Analysis, data drops and case studies. When the regime moves, this is where we say what it means.
11 August 2026
The BSR decided 45 new higher-risk building and conversion applications in the 12 weeks to 1 August 2026, approving 91% and 7,587 residential units. The comparable August 2025 approval rate was 39%; median approval time has fallen from 43 to 22 weeks. At least six newly approved schemes were publicly named.
Read the full analysis +11 August 2026
Fire regulation is moving from product-level declarations towards evidence for the installed wall as a system. The September 2026 Approved Document B amendments, the wider 2026 review and construction-products reform make field of application, interfaces, compatibility and as-built traceability central to façade assurance.
Read the full analysis +11 August 2026
Class 3 registered building inspectors, who undertake specialist higher-risk building work within BSR multidisciplinary teams, remain the regulator's scarcest professional resource. Government has committed £55 million to building-control capacity and training, but the pipeline cannot remove near-term programme risk.
Read the full analysis +9 August 2026
In Jaevee Homes Ltd v Fincham the Technology and Construction Court held that a WhatsApp exchange formed a binding construction contract worth 248,000 pounds, and that the subcontract emailed afterwards was never part of it. Informal site messages can create obligations, fix payment cycles and decide who pays.
Read the full analysis +16 July 2026
On 30 September 2026 the second staircase mandate takes effect for new residential buildings over 18m in England, and on 1 October 2026 the Building Safety Levy switches on. Together they are driving a surge of Gateway 2 submissions lodged ahead of the dates, and a rush is exactly when applications fail.
Read the full analysis +14 July 2026
The Building Safety Regulator has broken the Gateway 2 backlog: 358 decisions at a 75% approval rate in the 12 weeks to 30 May 2026, down from a 43-week peak in October 2025. But the approved schemes are now completing on site, and Gateway 3 volume is rising from a base of just 16 applications.
Read the full analysis +