Winding-up orders were made on 6 November 2025 against Assent Building Compliance Limited (05311596), LB Building Control Limited (06442788) and Oculus Building Consultancy Limited (03414863). The court appointed the Official Receiver as liquidator to wind down the companies and to inquire into the causes of failure and the conduct of current and former directors.
The Insolvency Service has advised customers that cancellation notices issued by the companies include links to retrieve project documentation. These links are due to expire on 31 January 2026 and continued access is not guaranteed after that date. Clients should download any required records before the deadline.
The orders intersect with the reformed building control regime in England and Wales. Approved Inspectors were replaced by Registered Building Control Approvers (RBCAs) from 6 April 2024, with transitional arrangements ending on 1 October 2024. Within the Assent group, LB Building Control and Oculus operated as RBCAs, while Assent Building Compliance itself did not register as an RBCA.
For live, non‑higher‑risk projects where an initial notice has been or will be cancelled, there is a statutory seven‑day window to appoint a new RBCA and lodge a new initial notice. If that window is missed, the work reverts to the local authority as the building control authority. Once a new initial notice is accepted, the incoming RBCA must assess the unfinished work for compliance and provide a transfer certificate and report to the local authority within 21 days unless an extension is agreed.
For higher‑risk buildings, where an initial notice is cancelled or an approved inspector did not become an RBCA, the Building Safety Regulator (BSR) becomes the building control authority. Work must pause until a valid BSR application is in place. Transitional regulations also confirmed that where a final certificate was not issued by 1 October 2024, relevant initial notices ceased to be in force, subject to defined exceptions.
Project teams should treat the Insolvency Service’s download deadline as part of maintaining the ‘golden thread’ of building information. Government guidance requires clients, principal designers and principal contractors to keep digital records demonstrating building regulations compliance and to hand them over at completion; missing documents risk delaying completion or occupation.
Employees can claim statutory redundancy and related payments from the Insolvency Service once they receive a CN case reference from the liquidator. Claims are submitted online, with support available via the Redundancy Payments helpline on 0330 331 0020. The Insolvency Service aims to pay eligible claims within six weeks; the case notice for these companies indicates many claims complete sooner on average, though some take longer if further information is needed. Anyone holding company property should contact the Official Receiver at Assent.Liquidator@insolvency.gov.uk using the subject “URGENT Company Property”.
Contractors are not eligible for redundancy payments in this case and should register as creditors. Creditors, including sub‑contractors, should submit a proof of debt identifying the relevant company, using the Rule 14.4 template, and email it with supporting invoices to Assent.Liquidator@insolvency.gov.uk.
As liquidator, the Official Receiver has a statutory duty to investigate the companies’ affairs and the conduct of directors under section 132 of the Insolvency Act 1986, and may report matters of potential unfitness under section 7 of the Company Directors Disqualification Act 1986. These functions are exercised in the public interest and can lead to disqualification proceedings where appropriate.
The building control profession remains under active regulatory oversight. BSR can investigate, suspend or cancel RBCA registrations where operational standards or conduct rules are breached, and certain sanctions require cancellation of initial notices with projects typically reverting to local authorities if not transferred within the statutory period. RBCAs must also maintain sufficient registered inspector capacity and submit operational data to BSR.
Delivery timetables should reflect current determination times for higher‑risk buildings. In a written answer on 7 February 2025, ministers advised applicants to plan on around 20 weeks for Gateway 2 decisions against a 12‑week service level. Trade press subsequently reported that BSR intends to clear most legacy cases by December 2025, with a small number forecast to conclude in January 2026.