BESA’s new client guide is a timely reminder that building safety starts long before work begins on site.
BESA has published a Client’s Guide to the Building Safety Act, produced to help non-domestic clients understand their responsibilities under the current building safety regime.
It is a useful reminder that clients are not simply funding or commissioning building work. Under the Building Safety Act, clients may also have legal duties for how that work is planned, managed, monitored and evidenced.
One of the clearest messages from the guide is that clients cannot outsource compliance. The person or organisation commissioning the work has an important role in setting the right conditions for a safe, compliant project from the outset.
Who is the client?
The guide defines the client as the person or organisation commissioning building work. This may include building owners, developers, housebuilders and organisations commissioning design, construction, refurbishment or maintenance work.
This matters because the client is a dutyholder under the Building Safety Act. That means they have responsibilities throughout the lifecycle of the project, including during planning, design, construction and, where relevant, occupation.
These duties are not limited to Higher-Risk Buildings. The guide makes clear that building work requiring Building Regulations approval can bring client responsibilities into play, from smaller projects through to more complex developments.
What are clients expected to do?
The guide sets out several key areas clients need to consider.
Clients should make suitable arrangements for planning, managing and monitoring the project. This includes allowing enough time and resource for building safety and regulatory requirements to be properly considered.
They are also expected to appoint competent dutyholders, including a Principal Designer and Principal Contractor where required. Competence should not be assumed. Clients should be able to demonstrate that those appointed have the appropriate skills, knowledge, experience and behaviours for the work being undertaken.
The guide also highlights the importance of sharing relevant information with the project team, keeping accurate records and making sure that design and construction decisions are properly evidenced.
In short, compliance is not something to be bolted on at the end of a project. It needs to be built into the way the project is managed from the beginning.
Why early planning matters
Projects can become more difficult to manage when building control, competence, records and compliance information are considered too late.
Missing information, unclear responsibilities, incomplete drawings, uncoordinated design changes or weak evidence can all create avoidable delays. These issues can also make it harder for project teams to demonstrate that the work meets the relevant requirements.
The BESA guide encourages clients to ask important questions early, including:
- Have the right dutyholders been appointed?
- Has competence been checked and recorded?
- Is the design information complete and coordinated?
- Is there evidence to support key compliance decisions?
- Has the correct building control route been identified?
- Are changes being managed and recorded properly?
- Is information being shared effectively across the project team?
These are practical questions, not box-ticking exercises. They help create the conditions for safer, better-managed, and more compliant projects.
Competence should be evidenced
One of the key themes in the guide is competence.
Clients are expected to appoint the right people and organisations for the work being carried out. This means looking beyond price alone and considering whether the project team has the required capability, experience, systems and resources.
For contractors and consultants, this may include qualifications, accreditations, training records, relevant project experience, professional memberships and evidence of previous work.
Clients should also consider how the competence of subcontractors and wider supply chains is assessed. A strong appointment process helps reduce risk and creates a clearer record of why decisions were made.
The role of building control
Building control should be considered early in the project, not treated as a final hurdle.
Early engagement can help project teams understand the approval route, the information likely to be required and the areas where further detail may be needed. It can also help avoid late-stage surprises, particularly where design details, specifications or supporting evidence are still developing.
At Build Insight, we work with clients and project teams to support a clearer building control process from the outset. Considering compliance early can help reduce uncertainty and support better project outcomes.
Higher-Risk Buildings and Gateway readiness
For Higher-Risk Buildings, the guide also highlights additional duties, including the Gateway process, Golden Thread information, Construction Control Plans, change control, safety occurrence reporting and ongoing management of building safety information.
The guide notes that Gateway stages are stop/go points, meaning projects cannot progress without the necessary approval. It also highlights common causes of delay, including incomplete applications, missing technical information and insufficient evidence.
Although Higher-Risk Building applications follow a specific regulatory route, the wider lesson applies across the industry: complete, coordinated and evidence-backed information matters.
A useful resource for clients and project teams
The BESA Client’s Guide to the Building Safety Act is a helpful read for developers, building owners, contractors, designers and anyone commissioning building work.
It reinforces an important message: clients have a central role in setting the tone for compliance, competence and building safety.
Building safety starts with early decisions. The right appointments, the right information and the right approval route can make a significant difference to how smoothly a project progresses.
Read the full BESA Client’s Guide to the Building Safety Act via BESA’s website.
For building control queries, speak to Build Insight early so the approval route and supporting information can be considered from the outset.
