Achieving a Building Assessment Certificate from the Building Safety Regulator
Olympus Management has successfully helped one of our managed Higher-Risk Buildings secure its Building Assessment Certificate from the Building Safety Regulator.
The development, in Elephant & Castle, comprises 422 residential units across 18 storeys. Securing the certificate followed around 21 months of work by Olympus, including eight months preparing the building and its supporting evidence, followed by 13 months of engagement with the Building Safety Regulator (BSR).
For those involved in block management London is home to some of England’s largest and most complex residential buildings, and the new building safety regime has placed significant additional responsibilities on those responsible for them.
Our recent success is particularly significant in the context of the BSR’s experience so far. Since the Building Assessment Certificate process began in April 2024, nearly 2,000 buildings have been directed to apply. As of July 2026, the BSR reported that 66% of applications determined during the year had been refused.
So what does obtaining a Building Assessment Certificate actually demonstrate, and what can Resident Management Company and Right to Manage directors learn from the process?
What is a Building Assessment Certificate?
A Building Assessment Certificate, commonly referred to as a BAC, forms part of the more stringent regulatory regime introduced by the Building Safety Act 2022 for occupied Higher-Risk Buildings.
In broad terms, an occupied residential building falls within the Higher-Risk Building regime if it is at least 18 metres high or has at least seven storeys, and contains at least two residential units.
The Principal Accountable Person (PAP) for an occupied Higher-Risk Building has a series of ongoing legal duties relating to the management of building safety. When directed by the BSR to apply for a BAC, the PAP has 28 days to submit the application.
As part of its assessment, the BSR looks at whether the PAP is meeting its relevant duties under Part 4 of the Building Safety Act. Among the key information submitted are:
- The building’s Safety Case Report.
- The Resident Engagement Strategy.
- Information about the Mandatory Occurrence Reporting system.
- Confirmation that relevant building safety information is being provided to the appropriate people and organisations.
The Safety Case Report is particularly important. It needs to demonstrate that the risks of structural failure and the spread of fire have been properly identified, assessed and managed, and that appropriate systems are in place to keep those arrangements under review.
If the BSR is satisfied that the relevant legal duties are being met, it issues the Building Assessment Certificate.
A certificate is a milestone, rather than the end of the process
Obtaining a BAC does not remove the ongoing responsibilities placed on the PAP and other Accountable Persons.
The BSR describes the certificate as a snapshot of the position when the building was assessed. Building safety arrangements must continue to operate effectively, Safety Case Reports need to be updated when circumstances require it, residents must continue to be engaged and risks must continue to be actively managed.
The regulator currently aims to reassess buildings around every five years, although reassessment can take place sooner where circumstances warrant it.
That ongoing responsibility is an important point for directors. Building safety compliance cannot sensibly be treated as a project that finishes when a certificate arrives. It needs to be embedded within the day-to-day management of the building.
How does the BSR decide which buildings should apply?
Existing occupied Higher-Risk Buildings were required to be registered with the BSR by 1 October 2023. Registration itself, however, does not mean that a building immediately goes through the Building Assessment Certificate process.
The BSR calls buildings forward by directing their Principal Accountable Person to apply.
Its first assessments deliberately concentrated on buildings considered to present the most significant potential risks. Factors used in prioritisation have included building height, the number of residential units, the presence of combustible aluminium composite material and certain large panel system construction methods.
This explains why some buildings have already been through a lengthy assessment while others have yet to be called forward.
Crucially, PAPs should not wait for that direction before getting their building safety arrangements in order. The underlying legal duties already apply, and the BSR explicitly advises duty holders to prepare their Safety Case Reports and other required information in advance.
What did it take to secure the BAC for our managed building?
For Olympus, the successful outcome in Elephant & Castle followed a substantial programme of work.
The scale of the development matters. With 422 homes across 18 storeys, demonstrating how structural and fire safety risks are controlled required input from numerous disciplines and a very considerable body of building information.
Developing the Safety Case Report
A central part of our work was compiling the Safety Case Report and ensuring it properly reflected the building itself, the risks identified and the measures being used to manage those risks.
This involves far more than assembling existing certificates and reports in one place. The BSR wants to understand how risks have been identified, what steps have been taken to prevent or mitigate them, how actions are tracked, how contractors and specialists are managed and how the effectiveness of those arrangements is monitored over time.
Coordinating specialist building safety expertise
Olympus coordinated closely with fire engineers, structural engineers and other specialists to develop and evidence the required picture of the building’s safety arrangements.
Where works were required, we were also involved in administering remediation activity and ensuring that progress, decisions and supporting information were properly recorded.
This coordination is an important part of effective block management in London, particularly where a complex building relies on evidence and expertise from several different professional disciplines.
Maintaining the golden thread
The concept of the “golden thread” sits at the heart of the post-Grenfell building safety regime. Put simply, important building safety information needs to be accurate, accessible, up to date and capable of following the building throughout its life.
For a large existing development, that can mean drawing information together from different sources, testing whether gaps exist and ensuring there is a clear record of what has been assessed, decided and completed.
Poor records can make it considerably harder to demonstrate effective safety management, even where good work has been undertaken in practice.
Engaging with residents
Resident engagement is another substantive part of the regime.
A Resident Engagement Strategy needs to reflect the particular building and its residents. It should explain how building safety information is communicated, which decisions residents will be consulted on, how their views will be gathered and considered, and how participation itself will be reviewed.
For Olympus, resident communication and consultation therefore formed part of the wider BAC preparation and assessment process, rather than being treated as a document produced solely for the application.
Thirteen months of engagement with the regulator
After approximately eight months of preparatory work, our engagement with the BSR continued for a further 13 months.
That period included responding to questions, providing additional evidence and working through the regulatory assessment process until the BSR was satisfied that the relevant requirements were being met.
It was detailed work, but the outcome is important. The certificate provides independent regulatory confirmation that, at the point of assessment, the BSR was satisfied that the relevant Part 4 duties were being complied with.
Why are so many BAC applications being refused?
The BSR’s July 2026 figures provide useful context for anyone responsible for a Higher-Risk Building. Of the applications determined during 2026 up to that point, 66% had been refused.
The regulator has itself identified an important theme behind those refusals. Some applications have focused too heavily on demonstrating that processes exist, without adequately demonstrating the effective management of fire and structural safety risks.
That distinction is crucial.
A strong application needs to show what actually happens within the building: how risks are identified, how decisions are made, how actions are followed through, how information is maintained and how residents are involved.
Areas that can create difficulties include incomplete safety case evidence, poor or fragmented records, gaps in the golden thread and Resident Engagement Strategies that do not sufficiently reflect the building or demonstrate meaningful consultation.
The BSR has also specifically advised applicants to give proper attention to both structural and fire safety and to demonstrate the measures in place rather than simply listing them.
For directors comparing residential property management companies London-wide, experience of managing this information and coordinating the different professionals involved in a Higher-Risk Building is increasingly important.
The BAC process is changing
The Building Safety Regulator has acknowledged that the first phase of the BAC regime has presented challenges for duty holders.
On 9 July 2026, the BSR announced plans to move towards a more proportionate, targeted, intelligence-led and risk-based approach to future assessments.
Particular attention is being given to resident-led Principal Accountable Persons, including Resident Management Companies and Right to Manage companies. Proposed measures include simplified assessment criteria, clearer technical guidance, greater support before applications are made and the exploration of named BSR contacts for resident-managed Higher-Risk Buildings.
The first updated resources are expected from September 2026.
This evolving approach will be important for RMC and RTM directors to follow, but it does not change the underlying building safety duties. The BSR has been explicit that PAPs and Accountable Persons must continue to manage fire and structural safety risks while the assessment process is refined.
What should RMC and RTM directors do now?
If your building is an HRB and has not yet been directed to apply for a Building Assessment Certificate, there is good reason to use that time constructively.
Review the quality of the building safety information already held. Consider whether the Safety Case Report genuinely demonstrates how risks are being managed. Check that specialist recommendations and remediation actions can be followed from identification through to completion. Look closely at whether resident engagement is working in practice as well as on paper.
The scale and complexity of these obligations also makes the experience of your managing agent increasingly relevant. Those seeking London property management services for a Higher-Risk Building should be asking how prospective agents approach the Safety Case, the golden thread, specialist coordination, resident engagement and ongoing compliance.
Similarly, when considering the many property management companies London has to offer, directors of Higher-Risk Buildings should look beyond general block management credentials and establish whether the team has practical experience of the Building Safety Regulator’s assessment process.
Proven experience of Higher-Risk Building management
Securing the Building Assessment Certificate for this 422-unit, 18-storey development represents an important milestone for the building and for Olympus.
It is also the result of 21 months of detailed work: understanding the building, coordinating specialists, managing remediation, engaging residents, compiling the Safety Case and working directly through the BSR assessment process.
For Resident Management Company and Right to Manage directors, the building safety regime creates substantial responsibilities. Having an experienced managing agent alongside you can make those responsibilities easier to understand, organise and manage effectively.
If you are responsible for a Higher-Risk Building in London and would like to discuss your current management arrangements, BAC preparation or wider building safety responsibilities, talk to the Olympus Management team.
