Building inspector shortage bites as government steps up recruitment drive

A shortage of qualified building inspectors is putting pressure on the UK’s building control system, with the government stepping up efforts to recruit and train hundreds of new professionals.

The Building Safety Regulator (BSR) has warned that there is a national shortage of Registered Building Inspectors (RBIs), as demand for building control expertise grows under the new building safety regime.

The shortage is particularly acute among Class 3 registered building inspectors, whom the BSR describes as its scarcest professional resource. Class 3 inspectors can work on a wider range of buildings and more complex projects than those registered at Class 2.

The skills gap is now prompting significant investment. In March, the government announced £70 million to address shortages in building safety professions, including funding to train up to 700 new Registered Building Inspectors and upskill existing inspectors.

The latest government plans include £55 million specifically for building control, supporting the recruitment and training of new RBIs and helping existing inspectors develop the skills needed to work on more complex and higher-risk buildings.

For people looking to enter the profession, the investment could create new opportunities. The government says trainees recruited through the programme will be employed by LABC for up to two years while they train and will be seconded to local authorities.

The BSR is also experiencing the pressure directly. Its latest data shows that it is continuing to increase the resources available to assess building control applications. At the end of July, 221 registered building inspectors were among the external professionals working on building control applications, with a further 36 inspectors integrated into BSR teams.

The regulator has said that having sufficient resources is critical to meeting demand and that increasing capacity remains both a priority and a challenge.

That demand is coming as the new building control regime beds in following the Building Safety Act and the introduction of new requirements for higher-risk buildings.

The BSR's latest application data, covering June to August 2026, shows the scale of work now passing through the new system. Building control approval is a statutory requirement for higher-risk building work, including buildings at least 18 metres or seven storeys high with two or more residential units, as well as hospitals and care homes.

The government has acknowledged that the shortage of building control professionals is not simply a short-term recruitment issue. Its latest plans for strengthening local building control capacity identify workforce support, training and financial sustainability as key priorities for the sector.

For employers, the challenge will be to attract experienced inspectors while also developing the next generation of professionals. For jobseekers, however, the shortage could represent an opportunity to enter a profession where demand for suitably qualified people is expected to remain strong.

The BSR itself says it is exploring ways to help the industry attract and retain talent in building inspection, describing it as an “exciting and interesting career”.

With hundreds of new inspectors now targeted for training, building control could therefore become an increasingly attractive career path for people looking to develop a long-term role in the built environment.

For candidates considering building control, the message is clear: demand for qualified inspectors is high – and the industry needs more people to step forward.

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