The newly liberated Building Safety Regulator must show it can help get safe homes built – and fast

By Charis Beverton 2026-02-16T07:00:00

The signs are promising that the relatively new leadership team can fix the BSR model and restore industry trust, but there is still some way to go, writes Charis Beverton

As of 27 January, the Building Safety Regulator (BSR) officially became an arm’s-length body. Up to now, the regulator has had a very mixed record, and many across the industry recognised the need to change the current set-up in the Health and Safety Executive.

On the positive side, it has established principles behind the post-Grenfell safety regime – higher standards and clearer accountability achieved through a robust gateways regime for higher-risk buildings. However, the way the system has operated to date has left many questioning whether the BSR is fundamentally able to guide safe homes through the system at the pace the country needs.

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