Independent Building Safety Act guidance
The Building Safety Act,
decoded for people who build.
We read the legislation, the guidance and the live regulator data so you do not have to, then tell you what it means on site. Three gateways, a golden thread and one regulator, without the legal fog.
Where the regime stands
BSR building control data, verified 2026-07-14
358
Gateway 2 decisions
12 weeks to 30 May 2026
75%
approval rate
Innovation Unit at 90%
12-14
week batching median
vs a 12-week statutory target
16 / 9
Gateway 3 apps / certificates
the next bottleneck
Gateway 2 has clawed its way back from the 2025 crisis, when decisions averaged 43 weeks. The pressure is moving downstream to Gateway 3. Read the numbers.
The regulatory journey
Find your way in
The site follows the journey a building takes: from the Act itself, through the three hard gateways, to occupation.
The next queue
Gateway 2 is recovering. Gateway 3 is where the next queue forms.
Only 16 new-build Gateway 3 applications had been submitted by early September 2025, and 9 certificates issued. The 2025-26 approval wave is now completing on site. The projects that kept an accurate golden thread as they built will clear it fastest.
Why Gateway 3 applications stallThe Gateway Brief
Two dates, one autumn: the 30 September and 1 October 2026 double deadline
On 30 September 2026 the second staircase mandate takes effect for new residential buildings over 18m in England, and on 1 October 2026 the Building Safety Levy switches on. Together they are driving a surge of Gateway 2 submissions lodged ahead of the dates, and a rush is exactly when applications fail.
Read the analysisThe Gateway Brief
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