CABE Survey Reveals Building Control Trends

Summary

The Chartered Association of Building Engineers (CABE) released its 2025 Building Control Survey, revealing a more optimistic outlook for the sector. The survey highlights increased support for professional development and a growing number of inspectors pursuing higher qualifications. However, it also underscores a persistent challenge: the industry’s understanding of the evolving building inspector role.

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** Main Story**

Okay, so CABE just dropped their 2025 Building Control Survey, and it’s got some interesting takeaways. It’s primarily focused on England and Wales, and honestly, the overall vibe is cautiously optimistic, which is a nice change of pace. I mean, remember how gloomy things felt last year?

Seems like morale is on the upswing. But let’s dive into the specifics.

Key Trends – The Good, the Okay, and the Needs-Work

The survey, pulling in responses from 575 professionals, highlights a few key areas:

• Optimism is Back (Sort Of): A solid 64% of building inspectors are feeling good about where things are headed. It’s not quite the roaring 2022 levels, but way better than the dip we saw in 2023. Plus, a whopping 84% of Class 1 registrants are aiming for those higher classifications – Class 2, 3, or 4. That means we can probably expect a steady stream of qualified folks coming through, which is a massive win.

• Professional Development’s Getting Some Love: This is huge. 85% of employers are either fully or partially funding professional development for their staff. And it’s not just lip service – 69% of respondents get actual time off for training. You know, it makes you wonder whether this trend indicates that companies have invested into their staff, and they want to keep them onboard. It feels like a real investment in the future.

• Staffing – Still a Headache, But Maybe Less So: Staffing shortages are still a problem across the board, no question about it. But there’s a glimmer of hope here, you see, the number of pros planning to stick around in building control has bounced back to 52%, matching 2022 levels and beating 2023’s dismal 41%. Now, if that uptick continues, the shortage might just start to ease a little.

• The Pesky Knowledge Gap: Alright, here’s the sticking point. A staggering 74% of respondents think clients just aren’t getting the updated role of the building inspector. And get this, only 27% think the industry’s doing enough to understand building regulation compliance. It’s a significant hurdle and you can’t help but think, is it perhaps due to lack of governmental investment in education regarding building regulation compliance? I mean, if we don’t bridge this gap, how can we expect things to truly improve?

Building Regs – They Are A-Changin’

The survey also put a spotlight on the recent changes to building regulations, particularly:

• The Building Safety Act 2022: This one’s massive, it brought in a whole new set of rules for high-rise residential buildings, you know, the ones 18 meters or taller, or with seven or more stories. It’s a game-changer for building control professionals, demanding that they adapt to new processes and shoulder new responsibilities. And honestly, it’s a direct response to the Grenfell tragedy. It’s a monumental shift, no doubt about it.

• Approved Document Updates: On top of the Building Safety Act, there have been updates to several Approved Documents covering things like energy efficiency (Part L), fire safety (Part B), ventilation (Part F), and new documents addressing overheating (Part O) and EV charging infrastructure (Part S). All of this designed to cut carbon emissions, boost building performance, and nudge us towards net-zero construction. Though, it almost feels like too much, too soon, doesn’t it?

CPD: Gotta Keep Learning

With the building control world constantly evolving, continuous professional development (CPD) is more important than ever. And as we’ve already touched on, the CABE survey shows employers are really stepping up to support their employees in getting that regular CPD. That combined with the fact that inspectors are actively seeking those higher qualifications? Well, that’s a great sign for the future. It means we should hopefully have a workforce ready to tackle the ever-changing regulatory landscape.

Final Thoughts

So, the 2025 CABE Building Control Survey? It’s painting a picture of cautious optimism, like I said. Sure, there are still challenges, especially when it comes to getting the wider industry to fully understand the building inspector’s role. But the commitment to professional development, the positive outlook, and the hints that staffing shortages might be easing are all encouraging signs. Ultimately, building control professionals are the ones ensuring compliance and shaping the future of our built environment, as the UK continues prioritizing safety and sustainability.