What is a Building Assessment Certificate and is your building going to need one?
The Building Assessment Certificate is the Building Safety Regulator's formal confirmation that the Principal Accountable Person for a higher-risk building is meeting their legal duties under the Building Safety Act 2022. The BSR is already issuing them — and the process of calling buildings in for assessment is underway.
What a higher-risk building is
A higher-risk building for the purposes of the Building Safety Act is a building in England that is at least 18 metres tall or has at least seven storeys, and contains at least two residential units. If your portfolio includes buildings of that height, the BAC regime applies.
Who the Principal Accountable Person is
The Principal Accountable Person is whoever holds the most senior obligation under the Act — typically the freeholder or the entity that owns the structure and exterior of the building. Where there are multiple Accountable Persons, the PAP is the one responsible for the common parts. In some managed blocks, the managing agent may hold Accountable Person obligations for the parts of the building they control.
What the BSR is assessing
The assessment is the BSR's review of whether the PAP is actually meeting the duties the Act imposes. That means having a current, demonstrable safety case in place. It means the resident engagement duties are being met — residents have been given the required information, there is a mechanism for them to raise safety concerns, and those concerns are being addressed. It means there is a functioning compliance structure, with a current fire risk assessment and evidence that the building is being actively managed.
The certification is not a one-off process — buildings may be reassessed, reinforcing the need for continuous compliance. A BAC issued today does not mean the building is certified indefinitely. The expectation is that the safety case and the compliance framework remain current and demonstrable at all times.
Who is being called in first
The BSR is calling in buildings in priority order, currently working through those over 30 metres high with more than 11 residential units. That is the immediate priority group. Buildings between 18 and 30 metres will follow in due course. If your portfolio includes buildings over 30 metres, the assessment notification may already be closer than you think.
What to have in order
The buildings that move through the BAC process smoothly are the ones where the evidence framework is already in place and current. The safety case document is up to date and reflects the building as it actually is. The fire risk assessment is current and covers the right scope. The inspection records, contractor outputs and remediation tracking are in order and accessible. The resident engagement process is documented.
The buildings that struggle are the ones where some of this exists in principle but cannot be demonstrated in practice — where records are scattered, the safety case has not been reviewed since registration, or the compliance structure depends on contractors managing themselves without independent oversight.
If you are an Accountable Person or Principal Accountable Person for a higher-risk building and you are not confident the evidence framework would stand up to BSR scrutiny, that is the right conversation to have now — not after the notification arrives.
Get in touch: s.coogan@omnifire.co.uk