Aipedia: Building control approvers

AI and completion or final certificates

Aipedia, by the Apex broking team · Last reviewed 2026-10-30

AI can gather completion evidence and draft certificates, but OSR 4.3 requires every contravention to be resolved before a completion or final certificate is issued. The certification decision must stay with a competent, registered person.

Part of: AI in building control approvers

In short

Completion certificates from local authorities and final certificates from RBCAs are relied on by owners, purchasers and lenders as evidence that work was checked. AI tools that collate inspection records, test certificates and photos into a completion pack, or that pre-fill the certificate, can speed this up. They can also hide gaps: an outstanding contravention, a missing commissioning certificate or an inspection that never happened. OSR 4.3 requires the body to be satisfied that every contravention is resolved first. A certificate issued on incomplete evidence is a classic source of PI claims.

How AI is used at completion

At the end of a project the building control body must decide whether it can certify. That means pulling together inspection reports, outstanding items, fire and electrical certificates, energy and ventilation records, photos and any statutory consultee responses. AI tools in case management systems can now compile this into a completion pack, list what appears to be missing, summarise outstanding contraventions and pre-fill the certificate.

This saves administrative time on high volumes of domestic work. The weakness is that the tool can only work with what is in the file. It may treat a document as received because a filename matches, read an earlier version of a certificate, or close an item because a later report used similar wording.

The duties that apply

The main duties that apply are:

OSR 4.3: be satisfied that every contravention is resolved before issuing any completion or final certificate for the works, including provisions on the competence and appointment of duty holders.
RBI code 3.1: only carry out restricted activities you are registered for and competent in, as defined in the Building Inspector Competence Framework.
RBI code 4.2 and Annex 1.2: accountability for the decision and records that show how it was reached.
RBI code 4.5: have enough time and resources to do the work properly.
OSR 1.7: keep accurate records for at least 15 years from completion.

See the operational standards rules and the RBI code of conduct.

What can go wrong

Certificates travel. A homeowner relies on one when selling, a purchaser's solicitor relies on it in conveyancing and a lender may rely on it when deciding to lend. If a certificate is issued when a contravention was still open, the body may face complaints, a regulatory question under OSR 4.3 and, depending on the facts, a claim.

Illustrative: an RBCA uses an AI tool to assemble completion packs for a batch of new dwellings. The tool marks each plot complete because a fire alarm commissioning certificate is on file for the development. In fact the certificate covered only some plots. Final certificates are issued for all of them. A purchaser later discovers the system in their home was never commissioned, and the developer has gone into administration. The purchaser looks to the building control body. Whether a duty of care is owed in these circumstances is not straightforward and depends on the facts, but defending the claim still costs money.

How PI usually responds

A claim that a certificate was negligently issued is usually treated as a professional negligence claim, subject to the policy terms, whether or not AI compiled the evidence. Claims can arise years after completion, so the policy in force when the claim is made, and any run-off, matters. Fire safety restrictions may apply if the missing item concerns fire protection. The basics of cover for approvers are in our guide to PI insurance for building inspectors and approvers. For linked liability risks, see building liability orders.

Practical controls

Useful controls include:

Have a registered inspector review every completion pack, not only the AI summary.
Check each certificate against the specific plot, unit or address it covers.
Do not let the system issue certificates automatically when items appear closed.
Record the inspector's decision and the evidence relied on, in their own words.
Reconcile the inspection plan against inspections actually carried out before certifying.
Flag any contravention closed by the tool rather than by an inspector for manual review.

Related guides: AI-written inspection records, AI-drafted contravention notices and AI and regularisation. Apex arranges PI for building control approvers and inspectors, and a broker can check how your policy responds to certification claims. See the AI in building control hub.

Sources

Frequently asked

Can an AI system issue a final certificate?

It should not decide whether to certify. OSR 4.3 requires the building control body to be satisfied that every contravention is resolved, and RBI code 4.2 makes the inspector accountable. AI can prepare the pack and draft the certificate, but a registered inspector should make and record the decision.

Who relies on completion and final certificates?

Owners, purchasers, their solicitors and lenders commonly rely on them as evidence that building control checked the work. That reliance is why certificates issued on incomplete evidence tend to produce complaints and, in some cases, claims against the building control body.

What should a completion review check that AI might miss?

Whether each certificate covers the right plot or unit, whether documents are the final versions, whether every planned inspection actually took place, and whether contraventions were genuinely resolved rather than closed because later wording looked similar.

How long should completion evidence be kept?

OSR 1.7 requires accurate records of building control functions to be kept for at least 15 years from completion, and RBCA rule 5.9 requires evidence and decisions to be kept for 15 years from instruction, or longer if insurance requires. Keep the AI-compiled pack and the inspector's decision together.

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Apex Insurance Brokers Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Registered in England and Wales, company number 07014570. This page is general information about how AI is used in the profession and how insurance may respond. It is not legal, regulatory or insurance advice on your circumstances, and it does not guarantee that cover will be available or on what terms.