Do approved building inspectors need professional indemnity insurance?
Reviewed by Matthew Bartlett, Director, Apex Insurance Brokers Limited · Last reviewed 2026-08-05
The short answer, in context
“Approved inspector” was the historical term for a private-sector building control body operating under the Building Act 1984, as an alternative to local authority building control. Under the Building Safety Act 2022, that regime changed. From April 2024, individuals must register with the Building Safety Regulator (part of the Health and Safety Executive) as a Registered Building Inspector (RBI), and organisations must register as a Registered Building Control Approver (RBCA).
Whichever label applies to you, the answer on insurance is the same: you cannot lawfully carry out this work without appropriate professional indemnity cover in place. Historically, approved inspectors were required to hold insurance under a scheme approved by the Secretary of State. Today, adequate insurance is a condition of registration as an RBCA.
Three reasons PI is required
Building inspectors face requirements from three directions at once. Any one of them makes PI necessary; in practice, all three usually apply.
| Source of requirement | What it means for you |
|---|---|
| Regulatory / registration | Adequate PI cover is a condition of registering as a Registered Building Control Approver with the Building Safety Regulator. The register is administered by the Building Safety Regulator. |
| Client contract | Developers, building owners and structural warranty providers routinely require evidence of PI, often specifying a minimum limit, before instructing you. |
| Professional membership | Bodies such as RICS and the Chartered Association of Building Engineers (CABE) require members in practice to hold adequate PI. |
The regulatory requirement in detail
Registration is not optional. Only a Registered Building Control Approver can carry out the building control functions that private-sector approved inspectors used to perform, and registration with the Building Safety Regulator carries an insurance condition. The Register of Building Control Approvers is operated on the Regulator's behalf by CICAIR Limited, a subsidiary of the Construction Industry Council — the same body that historically maintained the Approved Inspectors Register.
For the earlier approved inspector regime, the Building Act 1984 and associated regulations required insurance under a scheme approved by the Secretary of State. The direction of travel has been towards more, not less, scrutiny of building control competence and insurance, particularly following the Building Safety Act 2022. If you are moving from the old regime to the new one, treat your PI arrangements as something to review carefully rather than assume they carry across unchanged.
Registering as a building control approver, or renewing cover? We arrange PI that meets regulatory and contractual requirements.
Get a PI quote →The specific service risk
Building control is high-consequence work. Your decisions on plans certificates, inspections and final certificates go to whether a building complies with the Building Regulations — and whether it is safe. A PI claim in this field typically alleges that inspection or approval failed to identify non-compliance, and that the resulting defect caused loss. The exposures that concern insurers most include:
- Fire safety and cladding. Compliance failures in relation to fire performance can lead to very large remediation costs, and this area has attracted intense scrutiny since the Building Safety Act 2022.
- Structural defects. A missed structural issue may only surface years after completion, once the building is occupied.
- Regulatory non-compliance. Energy efficiency, means of escape, accessibility and drainage failings can trigger costly remedial work and third-party claims.
- Certification disputes. Reliance on a certificate you issued, later challenged as wrong, is a classic route to a claim.
Because defects can emerge long after the work, PI is written on a “claims made” basis — the policy that responds is the one in force when the claim is made, not when the work was done. That makes continuity of cover, and run-off cover when you stop trading, particularly important in this profession.
How much cover do you need?
There is no single right figure. The appropriate limit of indemnity depends on the value and nature of the projects you sign off, what your registration and client contracts require, and the requirements of any professional body you belong to. As a general guide to how limits are structured:
- £1m — an entry-level limit for smaller, lower-risk domestic and light commercial work.
- £2m — a common baseline where warranty providers or larger clients specify a minimum.
- £5m and above — where you work on larger or higher-risk buildings, including higher-risk buildings within the Building Safety Regulator's remit.
These are illustrative options, not a recommendation. The key is that your limit is genuinely adequate for your worst realistic claim — and that the wording actually covers building control functions, including any fire safety and cladding exposure, rather than excluding them. Speak to us about the right limit for your work before you assume an off-the-shelf figure will do.
What good PI cover should include
- A limit and basis that satisfy Building Safety Regulator registration and your client contracts.
- Clear cover for building control and inspection activities, without a blanket exclusion for fire safety or cladding.
- Defence costs and the ability to respond to allegations of negligence, breach of duty and misstatement.
- Retroactive cover for past work, and access to run-off cover when you cease trading or retire.
Common questions
Is PI legally required, or just good practice?
For private building control work it is effectively required. Adequate insurance is a condition of registering as a Registered Building Control Approver, and you cannot carry out the work without registration. It is not merely optional good practice.
I was an approved inspector under the old regime — do the rules still apply to me?
The approved inspector regime has transitioned to the Registered Building Inspector and Registered Building Control Approver framework under the Building Safety Act 2022. The insurance obligation continues; you should confirm your cover meets the current registration requirements rather than assume the old scheme still qualifies.
Do I still need cover after I stop taking on new work?
Usually yes. Because claims can arise years after a certificate is issued, and PI is written on a claims-made basis, run-off cover protects you against claims relating to past work after you cease trading.
Apex Insurance Brokers Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FRN 724952). This guide is general information, not advice on a specific policy or a substitute for your policy wording.