A BAC reset: time for a more proportionate and targeted approach

The Building Safety Regulator (BSR) has announced plans to introduce a more proportionate and targeted approach to Building Assessment Certificates (BACs) for occupied higher-risk buildings (HRBs).

The announcement follows the first two years of the BAC process and some fairly striking statistics. Since April 2024, the BSR has directed Principal Accountable Persons (PAPs) to apply for certificates for almost 2,000 buildings.

However, assessment processing times are currently twice as long as originally expected, while 66% of applications have been refused so far this year.

The BSR says refusals have often resulted from applications failing to adequately demonstrate how fire and structural safety risks are being managed, rather than necessarily indicating that a building itself is unsafe.

A more risk-based approach

The BSR now intends to move towards a more proportionate, intelligence-led and risk-based approach.

This will include:

• focusing initially on organisations responsible for multiple HRBs;

• targeted interventions based on risk or intelligence;

• giving smaller, volunteer-led resident organisations more time to prepare;

• providing additional support for applications already being assessed; and

• exploring faster reassessments for previously refused applications once the required actions have been completed.

The BSR also plans to introduce simpler assessment criteria and clearer technical guidance, with updated resources expected from September 2026.

What does this mean for duty holders?

Importantly, the BSR is not reducing the underlying legal responsibilities of Principal Accountable Persons or Accountable Persons.

Duty holders must continue to manage the risks of fire spread and structural failure and maintain their existing building safety obligations.

The proposed changes are instead about how the BSR assesses compliance.

For resident-led organisations, this could be particularly significant. The BSR acknowledges that volunteer-run organisations have struggled with the complexity of the process, with some facing additional and unexpected costs.

A simpler and more proportionate assessment process could therefore reduce the number of applications refused because applicants have struggled to demonstrate compliance effectively.

A welcome change?

The combination of a 66% refusal rate and assessment times twice as long as expected suggests that the current BAC process has not worked as smoothly as intended.

The BSR's proposed shift towards a more targeted and proportionate approach is therefore welcome.

The real test will be whether it can reduce assessment times and unnecessary refusals without compromising building safety.

The message from the BSR is clear: the process needs to change. The challenge now is to deliver a system that is proportionate, timely and workable, while keeping building safety firmly at its centre.