Building Assessment Certificates: Direction, 28 Days, Pack & Appeal

What a Building Assessment Certificate is (and is not)

Gateways 1–3 sit in design and construction. The BAC sits in occupation: the regulator directs a Principal Accountable Person (PAP) to apply, assesses the building’s ongoing safety management, and may issue a certificate. Holding a current safety case is necessary but not sufficient — BAC is its own procedural machinery under BSA 2022 ss.79–82.

Threadsovereign treats BAC as a distinct occupied-phase workflow alongside safety case, KBI, MOR, and resident engagement. Product detail is at threadsovereign.co.uk/bac-readiness-software.

BSR direction and the 28-day window

The PAP is directed by the BSR to apply. Teams cannot self-nominate to start a statutory BAC application. After direction, the PAP generally has 28 calendar days to submit via the BSR online portal. Failing to apply without a reasonable excuse is treated seriously under the regime — treat the direction date and reference as the operational start of the clock.

Keep BSR-held contact and registration details current, and notify material changes within 14 days — registration currency sits alongside BAC readiness, not instead of it.

What goes in the BAC submission pack

The application bundle is specific. Expect to prepare and present:

• The building safety case report
• The resident engagement strategy
• Evidence of the mandatory occurrence reporting system
• Serial numbers of any compliance notices currently in force (where applicable)

Fees and filing on the BSR portal

HRB fees and BAC application readiness are related but distinct. Record fee amounts, due dates, and receipts on the building record so finance and compliance share one picture. Filing happens on the official BSR / GOV.UK portal — compliance software should prepare packs and evidence, not imply automatic filing or payment on your behalf.

If a BAC application is refused

BSR has publicly discussed high refusal rates for BAC applications. If an application is refused, there is a review route and a First-tier Tribunal appeal path. Duty-holders need structured tracking of refusal notices, review steps, deadlines, and Tribunal references — not only a ‘rejected’ status with no next action.

None of that replaces legal advice. Platform support means recording and alerting on those procedural steps so the building record stays coherent.

Renewal and early reassessment

Certificates sit on an ongoing review cycle — often thought of in multi-year terms — and may be brought forward after incidents, significant building changes, or remediation completion. Teams should track renewal due dates and watch for early-reassessment triggers rather than assuming ‘certificate issued’ closes the file forever.

Practical next steps for PAPs and BSMs

Confirm who is the PAP for each HRB, keep registration contacts current, and maintain a living safety case and engagement strategy that could survive a directed BAC call-in at short notice. For product walkthroughs of direction clocks, pack checks, and appeal fields, see threadsovereign.co.uk/bac-readiness-software. For AP duties more broadly, see threadsovereign.co.uk/blog/accountable-person-duties-hrb.

Conclusion

BAC readiness is an occupied-phase discipline: direction starts the clock, the pack must be complete, and refusal has a procedural path. Explore threadsovereign.co.uk/bac-readiness-software and the Building Safety Act FAQ at threadsovereign.co.uk/faq.