What happened
From 6 November, local authority building control teams in England can set full cost-recovery fees for considering and processing documents submitted by registered building control approvers (RBCAs). The change follows the approval of The Building (Local Authority Charges and Amendments Relating to Charging) (England) Regulations 2026 three weeks ago, which gave councils the power to introduce these fees provided they gave seven days’ notice.
Different councils have adopted varied fee structures. Rossendale Borough Council in Lancashire published charges of £198 for processing an initial notice for one building, with rates rising to £396 for processing notices covering 25-50 buildings. East Hampshire District Council listed lower fees, charging £58 for a single initial notice and £132 for notices covering 11-50 dwellings.
The fee variation extends to VAT: some councils apply VAT while others do not. Methods also differ, with some charging per project and others per document. Some councils introduced the fees from 6 November, while others plan to do so in January or April.
Several RBCAs say the new charges will increase costs for their businesses, with some warning they will need to ask clients for upfront charges for the first time. One RBCA owner, not named in the report, explained that absorbing fees of £50 to £200 for each project is unsustainable for smaller firms.
The background
The power for councils to recover costs from work undertaken for RBCAs was granted in October 2026, after the government signed off on new building control charging regulations. The move followed industry consultation carried out by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government in November 2025.
The context for the changes includes a wider shift in the building control sector. A new registration regime for building control professionals came into force in 2024, placing additional demands on companies and staff in the sector. One RBCA director described a lack of qualified personnel and increased administrative requirements, saying that chasing paperwork now takes up more time than site visits.
Under the previous system, local authorities provided some building control activities for RBCAs without recovering the full administrative cost. The new regulations aim to put local authority building control operations on a sustainable financial footing and protect public funds, according to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.
What people are saying
Geoff Wilkinson, managing director of Wilkinson Construction Consultants, noted the broad differences in council approaches, with some using document-based fees and others per project, along with regional inconsistencies in VAT application. Wilkinson also pointed out that differentiation between domestic and commercial fees exists in some councils without any clear operational distinction, according to his remarks. He called the system a “postcode lottery” and questioned whether the move would improve building safety.
A director at another RBCA said the charges could leave private approvers uncompetitive compared to local authorities if they cannot pass on the extra cost. There is concern among some RBCAs that their business models, especially those reliant on numerous small jobs, may become unviable. At the same time, the director noted that local councils lack the capacity to take on all building control functions currently provided by the private sector.
A spokesperson for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said the department had carried out extensive consultation on the proposed changes and continues to work with the sector to implement the new policy. The spokesperson stressed that not all councils are expected to begin charging from 6 November and described the reforms as essential to support local authority building control and shield taxpayers.
What happens next
Councils are introducing the new charging structure at different times. Some implemented the changes on 6 November, others in January or April 2026. RBCAs will need to adjust their billing practices, with some planning to start asking clients for upfront payment of local authority fees.
Professionals within the sector say they will monitor how the new fees affect their own financial viability and their ability to compete with local authority-controlled services. With ongoing staff shortages and administrative pressures highlighted by several RBCA directors, the impact on staffing and future business models is under scrutiny.
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has indicated it will continue discussions with the building control sector through the implementation period. The progress of fee adoption and its consequences for public and private sector workloads are likely to become clearer in 2026. The statutory consultation process and feedback will continue to influence final practices and transition arrangements.