Two weeks on from the collapse of Assent Building Compliance, one of the UK’s largest private building control providers, the construction industry is still absorbing the impact. Thousands of live projects — many of them in London — have been forced to reassign building control duties, triggering a wave of cancellations, new appointments, and regulatory handovers unprecedented in scale.
The Building Safety Regulator (BSR) confirmed that the winding-up of Assent Building Compliance Ltd and its two subsidiaries, LB Building Control Ltd and Oculus Building Consultancy Ltd, has automatically invalidated all initial notices the companies had in place. Developers, contractors, and project owners were given seven days from notification to appoint a new Registered Building Control Approver (RBCA). Any project that failed to do so in time has reverted by law to the relevant local authority.
For higher-risk buildings (HRBs) — such as residential towers, hospitals, and care homes over 18 metres in height — oversight has transferred directly to the BSR. For non-HRB projects, clients can continue work once a new RBCA is in place. This legal mechanism is designed to prevent construction from grinding to a halt, but it has added layers of administrative work for developers and regulators already under pressure.
Industry sources estimate that Assent was involved in as many as 30,000 projects annually, giving it one of the largest market shares in private building control. London’s dense concentration of tall residential and mixed-use developments has made it particularly exposed. Several developers have confirmed that live schemes — including major build-to-rent towers and office-to-residential conversions — have had to reappoint new RCBAs within days, while others have temporarily paused work while their approvals are reassigned.
In practical terms, the process has unfolded as a complex triage operation. Contractors have scrambled to compile inspection records, test certificates, and photographic evidence to ensure continuity of compliance. Replacement RCBAs are conducting due-diligence reviews of documentation before taking responsibility, adding to short-term delays. Local authority building control teams, especially in boroughs such as Tower Hamlets, Southwark, and Camden, have seen a sudden influx of reverted projects.
The Health and Safety Executive has urged calm but emphasised the need for speed and precision. In its guidance, it stated that construction can continue on non-HRB sites “provided an alternative RBCA has been appointed and inspection arrangements are in place.” For HRB projects, the BSR has assumed full control to “ensure there is no gap in oversight or safety assurance.”
The failure has also reignited debate about the fragility of the private building control sector under the post-Grenfell regulatory framework. Since April 2024, HRB developments have been subject to a new “Gateway” approvals system requiring explicit BSR sign-off at key stages — design, construction, and completion. The extra scrutiny, while welcomed by safety campaigners, has significantly increased workloads and insurance costs for private providers. Many industry insiders say the model’s economics have become unviable for firms without large reserves or specialist risk cover.
For developers, the collapse is a reminder of how dependent the construction system has become on a handful of private building control providers. The Building Safety Regulator and Local Authority Building Control (LABC) have reassured the sector that capacity will be maintained, but the short-term strain is evident. Some smaller authorities have had to prioritise HRB cases, delaying routine approvals for smaller commercial and residential projects.
Going forward, several professional bodies have called for a review of how building control is structured. The Association of Consultant Approved Inspectors (ACAI) has urged government to consider temporary measures — such as streamlined reappointment processes and capacity funding for local authorities — to prevent backlogs from stalling construction pipelines. Industry analysts expect consolidation, with a smaller number of large, well-capitalised RCBAs likely to dominate the private market by 2026.
For project owners, the immediate priority remains administrative housekeeping: appointing new RCBAs, transferring documentation, and updating compliance records. For the broader industry, the challenge is longer term — how to maintain a functioning building control ecosystem that is both commercially viable and robust enough to uphold the higher safety standards now embedded in law.
While construction sites across London are still busy, the collapse of Assent has served as a sharp reminder of the system’s fragility. Oversight may be tightening, but so too are margins and timelines. The coming months will test whether the regulator’s safety-first reforms can coexist with the pace of delivery that a growing city like London demands.