'Terrible' impact of building control firm collapse

More than 14,000 households have been left in a "worrying" situation by the collapse of a company that checks new building work meets safety standards, an industry expert has said.

PWC Building Control Services Limited (PWC), based near Towcester, Northamptonshire, went into voluntary liquidation after an application to be registered by a new regulator failed.

Thousands of home owners who had paid the firm to do checks now face delays and a second bill - to pay local authorities to do the checks instead.

Lorna Stimpson, from Local Authority Building Control - which represents local authority building control teams - said it was "such a terrible situation". PWC has been approached for comment.

Ms Stimpson said some householders would need to have holes drilled in newly finished extensions before completion certificates could be issued.

She told BBC Radio 4's You and Yours programme that local council building control departments were facing "capacity issues", even before this influx of cases.

West Northamptonshire Council said it had received 1,233 cancellation notices related to PWC, while Bedford Borough Council said it had received more than 500.

Phil Jackson from Sale, Greater Manchester, paid the firm £750 to check a loft conversion and provide the relevant safety certificates.

He said he was told by his local council exploratory holes may now have to be drilled in the recent work to check compliance - but a backlog meant that could take up to two years.

Mr Jackson, who will also have to pay the local authority, said this was "added stress on top of a build that was very stressful".

Trafford Council told the BBC it is limited in what it can do and knows the situation is worrying and frustrating for householders.

From Spring 2024, building control inspectors had to register with a new body called the Building Safety Regulator, under changes made in following the Grenfell Tower fire.

PWC's application was rejected and so the firm cancelled all existing inspections and the cases were passed to local authorities.

BRI Business Recovery and Insolvency were appointed liquidators and said the collapse had lead to 26 job losses.

It said a process to allow customers to apply for existing site notes to aid council building control teams had been delayed.

This would cost £220 plus VAT but no profit would be made by BRI or PWC, it said.

Councillor Andrea Spice, from Bedford Borough Council, said the authority was raising concerns with the government.

She said there needed to be recognition of the impact on "the whole sector" of the new scheme "including the need for greater capacity nationally in building control".

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said it was aware of the impact of the collapse.

“We have engaged Bedford and other affected authorities to understand how we can support them and have invested £16.5m to further train building control inspectors nationally,” it said.

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