Citizens Advice response to The Single Construction Regulator Prospectus

Citizens Advice response to The Single Construction Regulator Prospectus 245 KB

The 2017 Grenfell Tower tragedy confirmed the systemic regulatory failings that have existed for too long in construction, and at their worst,  left people unsafe and living in substandard homes. The current landscape is deeply fragmented and confusing, while unclear responsibilities and gaps in standards make oversight ineffective and dangerous to communities.When things go wrong, ownership of responsibility is confusing and residents are frequently passed back and forth between different agencies and ombudsmen. At Citizens Advice, we know that housing quality issues are a significant and growing concern: in 2025, we helped just under 50,000 people with an issue related to poor quality housing - nearly 3 times as many as we helped in 2018. The people we help often have nowhere else to turn as they seek to resolve their issues in a confusing and disjointed system. 

The creation of a single Construction Regulator (SCR), with the right powers and duties, is an important step in the right direction. Alongside the wider programme of reform that the government has committed to delivering, a SCR is designed to address these failures by consolidating fragmented oversight of buildings, products, and professions into a single, high-accountability body dedicated to resident safety. 

The creation of a SCR is a vital step toward consolidating oversight of buildings, products, and professions. However, an SCR alone cannot fix a broken system. The prospectus emphasises the importance of a system that is accessible, visible and navigable. An independent, statutory consumer advice and advocacy is the essential "final pillar" required to help consumers navigate the inherent complexity and ensure the regulator remains effective.