Approved Inspectors

What Approved Inspectors does

Approved Inspectors Ltd is a privately-held UK Registered Building Control Approver (RBCA) headquartered in Lancaster, providing building regulation compliance services as a private alternative to Local Authority Building Control. The firm operates nine regional offices across North West England (Lancashire, Cumbria, Manchester, Cheshire, Shropshire, Staffordshire, Derbyshire) and Birmingham, delivering plan assessment, site inspections, statutory consultation with fire authorities, and Final Certificate issuance under the Building Act 1984 and Building Safety Act 2022 frameworks. The service portfolio is split between commercial projects (new dwellings, multi-occupancy, education, industrial, offices, retail, leisure, change of use) and domestic projects (extensions, loft and garage conversions, thermal-element renovations), with additional post-Grenfell regulatory declarations covering fire safety, ventilation, energy, overheating, on-site electricity generation, and drainage commissioning.

The underlying technology is fundamentally a regulated professional service rather than a software platform. Core delivery is human-led: qualified surveyors produce an Inspection and Intervention Plan (IIP), conduct design-stage assessments with non-compliance reports, carry out key-stage site inspections, and issue statutory certificates. The firm differentiates on regulatory exclusivity (RBCA license), qualified staff with cross-sector public/private experience, and a tailored IIP that adapts the inspection regime to each project. Customer engagement is initiated through website quotation forms, phone inquiries, and direct regional-office outreach; CPD events for architects and contractors drive mid-funnel specification pull.

Approved Inspectors generates revenue through three streams: lump-sum project fees for the core building-control workflow, hourly time charges for additional work (£45–£195/hour by role), and supplementary charges for amendments, cancellations, archive retrieval, and additional inspections. Pricing is publicly disclosed in the Terms & Conditions, and customers include marquee enterprises (Lancaster University, Buxton Crescent Hotel, EDF Energy, Noble Foods, Chester Race Company), government clients (Cheshire East Council, Ellel Parish Council), and a long-tail of domestic property owners. The firm claims "Thousands Of Happy Clients" and a 2009 founding.

Name

Approved Inspectors

Legal name

Approved Inspectors Ltd

Website

https://approvedinspectorsltd.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Approved Inspectors Ltd is a UK Registered Building Control Approver providing private-sector building regulation compliance as an alternative to Local Authority Building Control, serving commercial developers, contractors, architects, and domestic property owners across North West England and Birmingham.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Building Control and Building Regulation Compliance Services

NAICS

Building Inspection Services (541350), Building Inspection Services (54135)

akta.pro primary industry

Building Codes, Permitting & Inspections (Building Safety) (BPAIANAF)

akta.pro secondary industry

Health, Safety & Building Code Regulators (Inspections) (BPAIAOAG)

Keywords

• Building control services
• Building regulation approval
• Site inspections
• Compliance certification
• Construction surveying

Headquarters

HQ city

Lancaster

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices9 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Others, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Building Control Services - Lump Sum Fees: Fixed fees for building control services including Initial Notice submission, design stage assessment, site inspections, and Final Certificate issuance. Fees are project-specific based on scope and complexity.
2. Time Charge Additional Work: Hourly time charges for Additional Work including design changes, additional meetings, site visits beyond IIP requirements, and specialist consulting. Rates range from £45/hour (Business Support) to £195/hour (Director).
3. Supplementary Charges: Additional fees for amendments, cancellations, document copies, archive retrieval, and additional inspections. Cancellation fees minimum 25% of total fee plus VAT.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Approved Inspectors is a UK Registered Building Control Approver (RBCA) providing statutory building regulation compliance services as a professional alternative to Local Authority Building Control. It delivers Commercial and Domestic Building Control across plan assessment, site inspections, Final Certificate issuance, and supplementary statutory declarations covering fire safety, drainage, ventilation, energy, overheating, and on-site electricity generation. Services are priced via project lump sums and role-based hourly charges, with regulation-mandated certificates and reports produced throughout the project lifecycle.

Product overview

Approved Inspectors is a Registered Building Control Approver (RBCA) providing building regulation compliance services as an alternative to Local Authority Building Control. The core offering is Building Control Services covering both Commercial and Domestic project categories. The service portfolio includes pre-submission advice, Initial Notice submission, design stage assessment, key stage inspections with Inspection and Intervention Plans (IIP), and Final Certificate issuance. Additionally, the company offers regulatory declaration services for fire safety (Regulation 38), drainage (Part H), ventilation (Regulation 39), energy (Regulation 40), overheating (Regulation 40B), and on-site electricity generation (Regulation 44ZA).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Commercial Building Control Building control services for commercial projects including new dwellings, multi-occupancy buildings, education facilities, industrial properties, offices, retail spaces, leisure venues, and change of use developments. Delivered as a Registered Building Control Approver for commercial clients including developers, contractors, architects, and corporate property owners.
• Domestic Building Control Building control services for residential projects including new dwellings, general alterations, extensions, garage conversions, loft conversions, and renovation of thermal elements. Delivered to homeowners and self-builders via regional offices in North West England and the Midlands.
• Regulation 38 Fire Safety Information Declaration Compliance service providing fire safety information declarations to building responsible persons for effective building management, in accordance with Building Regulations requirements.
• Septic Tank and Sewage Treatment Plant Commissioning Declaration Declaration service for compliance with Part H drainage requirements of Building Regulations 2010, covering septic tank and sewage treatment plant commissioning.
• Regulation 39 Ventilation Declaration Service ensuring ventilation system information is passed to building owners for adequate operation and maintenance, in accordance with Building Regulations requirements.
• Regulation 40 Energy Information Declaration Service ensuring information about fixed building services and maintenance requirements for fuel and power conservation is provided to building owners.
• Regulation 40B Overheating Information Service ensuring information about overheating provisions under Part O is provided to building owners for compliance with Building Regulations.
• Regulation 44ZA On-Site Electricity Generation Commissioning Declaration Commissioning declaration service for systems for on-site electricity generation, supporting compliance with Building Regulations.

Quantifiable outcome

• Professional alternative to Local Authority with thousands of satisfied clients.
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers18 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• ABCA (Association of Building Control Approvers)minorOthersMembership in professional association for Registered Building Control Approvers, providing industry representation and standards compliance.
• CbuildeminorOthersBuilding industry professional network membership providing industry connections and standards alignment.
• NQA (National Quality Assurance)minorOthersQuality assurance certification body ensuring company maintains appropriate quality management standards.
• NCSC Cyber EssentialsminorOthersCyber security certification demonstrating commitment to cybersecurity best practices.
• Griffiths & Armour (Insurance Broker)minorOthersProfessional indemnity insurance provider as stated in Terms & Conditions - insurance broker providing PI coverage for building control services.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves1 record

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Bureau Veritas UK: Bureau Veritas is a global TIC firm with a UK building control division providing RBCA services, plan assessment, and site inspections — overlapping directly with Approved Inspectors' core offering and targeting the same enterprise developer and architect segments.
• SOCOTEC UK: SOCOTEC acquired ESG (formerly Building Control) and operates one of the largest UK private building control and approved inspector practices, directly competing with Approved Inspectors across commercial and residential projects with similar RBCA-registered services.
• Butler & Young Group: Butler & Young is a long-established UK Approved Inspector with both commercial and domestic building control services, structured similarly to Approved Inspectors as a privately held, regionally deployed RBCA practice.
• MLM Group (Building Control): MLM Group operates a UK building control consultancy with multi-region coverage, providing initial notices, design assessments, and site inspections to developers and architects — closely paralleling Approved Inspectors' service model.
• Stroma Building Control (now BLP): Stroma (now part of BLP) operates a UK Approved Inspector service with both commercial and residential focus, competing for the same projects and offering a parallel inspection-and-certification workflow.
• Assent Building Control: Assent is a UK Registered Building Control Approver offering commercial and domestic building control services nationwide — a direct competitor in the same RBCA regulatory niche with comparable service lines and target customers.
• JHAI (John Hill & Associates Inspectors): JHAI is a UK private building control approver offering design stage assessments, site inspections, and final certification to developers and architects — directly comparable in scale and service scope to Approved Inspectors.

Others

• Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS): RICS is the professional body that accredits the chartered surveyors on which the UK building control profession depends; while not a direct competitor, it shapes the qualification framework, competency standards, and code of practice that Approved Inspectors' staff must satisfy.

Emerging players

• Ridge and Partners LLP (Building Consultancy): Ridge offers a multi-disciplinary building consultancy including project monitoring, building surveying, and selected building control services — an adjacent player with partial overlap in compliance and inspection work for commercial developers.

Regional players

• Cairn Cross Civil Engineering (Building Control): CBCE provides building control services primarily in the Midlands and northern UK regions, partially overlapping Approved Inspectors' North West England territory and competing for similar mid-sized commercial and residential schemes.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Approved Inspectors