Managing Director Geoff Wilkinson appeared on last week’s Newsnight special investigation into the fire safety crisis gripping the UK.

The investigation found that there are numerous fire safety defects in buildings and that the culture within construction is to look to cut costs by driving compliance down to the minimum standard that complies with the regulations or even lower.

Decades of “light touch” regulation from central Government have meant that leaseholders find themselves with huge bills to rectify these defects. In response to the growing public outcry Government are looking to change the law and require that contractors go back and put these defects right.

Increasingly we are being approached by contractors who are finding that their buildings have been signed off by others with this light touch approach and that they are now having to go back and rectify the defects.

As one client recently said “We have previously worked with you … and found your practice to be somewhat more detailed than other Inspectors……”

They went on to say that while “…a poor Inspector won’t pick things up, if an issue arises later on, it’s us the contractor who will carry the risk. I would like to ensure we don’t leave site thinking we are ok, but in reality face a time bomb waiting to happen. The contrast between a detailed inspector like yourselves and others is huge!”

As liability rests with the person carrying out the work, not the Building Control Body, it’s worth considering what value your chosen Building Inspector brings to the table. Whilst a light touch and low cost may initially appeal, a more thorough service may help save costs in the long run and ensure that we change the culture of construction. Whilst we can’t guarantee that we will catch everything,  you can rest assured that you are in the safest hands possible.

Now is the time to stop looking to the minimum and instead drive up standards of compliance. As it says in our tag line we are all about “Building Standards in the UK” which is why we were voted Best Approved Inspector 2020.

If you value service over price, then get in touch now to find out more about how we can help to defuse those ticking time bombs.