New Building Safety Levy information required for Initial Notices from 1 October 2026

From 1 October 2026, following the introduction of the Building Safety Levy, new regulations mean that you will need to supply additional information for each new Initial Notice (IN) application you submit to us for sites in England.

What new information is required?

The additional Building Safety Levy information required from 1 October is listed in an annex to the Initial Notice and set out below.

Planning permission information

If planning permission is required, has it been granted or not yet determined, or subject to prior approval and a prior approval has been satisfied/not satisfied or not yet made. 
Planning Application and Permission references are required. 
Prior approval references and details of how they are satisfied are required. 
Where planning permission has been granted, or section 33 of the Planning Act 2008 applies, details must be provided to confirm whether the building work constitutes, or is expected to constitute, a major development, or forms part of a wider development that constitutes, or is expected to constitute, a major residential development.
If the Initial Notice is given on behalf of a client, then a statement signed by the client is required confirming that the information provided is accurate.

The number of dwellings

The number of dwellings the work relates to and whether they are purpose- built student accommodation or not.

Client confirmation

If the Initial Notice is given on behalf of a client, then a statement signed by the client is required confirming that the information provided is accurate.

You must provide the information when you submit the IN application to us.To prevent delays to your project, please ensure all required Building Safety Levy information is provided with any new Initial Notice applications you submit on or after 1 October. To help, we have updated our SNIN form and created a supporting BSL SNIN document which must be completed and submitted alongside your SNIN. We've also updated the My NHBC Portal to capture the required levy information if you submit your SNIN applications electronically.

Unfortunately, we cannot serve an Initial Notice unless the required Levy information has been provided. If we don’t have it, there may be delays to your project.

What happens to the Levy information you supply?

We are required to share this information with the relevant Building Safety Levy collecting authority (typically the Local Authority). They will assess whether a Levy is payable, calculate the amount due and inform you directly of the Levy due as well as the process for paying. If applicable, the Levy must be paid in full before the first Building Control Final Certificate for any work on the Initial Notice can be issued.

What your NHBC surveyor will do

For all new Initial Notices submitted on or after 1 October, our surveyors will apply a condition requesting the required Levy information to confirm whether your site is liable for the Levy or not. Where a Levy is applicable, a further condition will be applied requesting confirmation that the Levy has been paid in full. No Building Control Final Certificates can be released until confirmation has been received that the Levy has been paid in full, as they will be rejected by the Local Authority.

Queries?

If you have any further questions, please get in touch with your NHBC surveyor.

Frequently asked questions

The Building Safety Levy (BSL) is a charge on certain residential developments in England. The Levy is intended to ensure that the development sector contributes towards the cost of remediating historical building safety defects.

The BSL comes into force on 1 October 2026 and may apply to plots on all new Initial Notices and Full Plans applications made to local authorities on or after this date. For NHBC Building Control applications, this means all Initial Notices submitted to the relevant local authority on or after 1 October 2026.

As a Registered Building Control Approver (RBCA), we are required to provide prescribed Building Safety Levy information to the relevant collecting authority on all Initial Notices submitted on or after 1 October 2026.

No. NHBC does not assess, calculate, collect or determine liability for the Building Safety Levy. The relevant local authority with building control responsibility will act as the collecting authority.

The Initial Notice must include prescribed Building Safety Levy information (see further details below), including details relating to planning permission, the number of dwellings or student accommodation bedspaces and, where applicable, a declaration signed by the Client confirming the Building Safety Levy information is accurate.

If the Initial Notice does not contain the required Building Safety Levy information, the local authority must reject the Initial Notice within the statutory review period. A revised Initial Notice will need to be submitted. NHBC will not therefore serve the Initial Notice without the relevant BSL information.

The collecting authority will assess the information submitted and determine whether the development is liable for the Levy. It will then issue either a Levy Liability Notice or a Notice of No Charge.

The developer or person responsible for the development is responsible for paying any Levy that becomes due. Payment is made directly to the collecting authority, not to NHBC.

The Levy is generally calculated by the collecting authority following receipt of the required Levy information and evidence provided at commencement stage.

Yes. NHBC will request a copy of either the Notice of No Charge or the Levy Liability Notice to demonstrate that the Levy position has been determined. This will be raised as a building control condition.

Where the Levy is payable, it must be paid before occupation or works completion – whichever comes earliest. For NHBC-controlled work, NHBC will require evidence that the Levy has been paid before issuing the relevant Building Control Final Certificate on the first finalled plot on the Initial Notice. Failure to pay will result in the Final Certificate being withheld or rejected.

No. Certain developments may be exempt from the Levy. The collecting authority is responsible for determining whether an exemption applies based on the information and evidence provided.

Yes. The Levy may apply to developments that provide bedspaces in purpose-built student accommodation, subject to the applicable regulations and any exemptions.

Questions about Levy liability, exemptions, calculations, payment arrangements, reviews or appeals should be directed to the relevant collecting authority. NHBC cannot provide determinations on these matters.

Where an Initial Notice covers plots or phases for more than one customer, NHBC will require confirmation that the Levy position for the whole Initial Notice has been determined. If a Levy is payable, NHBC cannot issue Building Control Final Certificates for any part of the Initial Notice until evidence is provided that the Levy has been paid in full, even where an individual customer’s plots are not themselves liable.

Developers are responsible for providing complete and accurate Building Safety Levy information at the appropriate stages of the building control process. This includes information needed by the collecting authority to determine whether the development is liable for the Levy, whether any exemption or discount may apply and the amount payable where a Levy is due.
At application stage, developers must provide the prescribed Building Safety Levy information needed to support the Initial Notice. NHBC cannot serve the Initial Notice unless the required information has been provided.
At commencement stage, developers may need to provide further information or supporting evidence requested by the collecting authority to enable it to determine the Levy position. The collecting authority will then issue either a Levy Liability Notice or a Notice of No Charge.
During development, developers must monitor whether any changes affect the Levy calculation. This may include changes to the development area, number of dwellings, purpose-built student accommodation bedspaces, exemptions, discounts or other relevant information. Where changes occur, developers must provide updated information so the collecting authority can issue a revised determination if required.
Where a Levy is payable, the developer is responsible for paying the amount due directly to the collecting authority. The Levy must be paid before occupation or or works completion – whichever comes earliest. NHBC will require evidence that the Levy has been paid before issuing the relevant Building Control Final Certificate.

Developers are also responsible for engaging with any review, refund, appeal or verification process where this is needed. NHBC cannot determine Levy liability, calculate the amount payable, collect payment or consider appeals.

NHBC's role as an Registered Building Control Approver is to:

submit the required Levy information with the Initial Notice
request evidence of the collecting authority's determination
request evidence that any Levy due has been paid
ensure regulatory requirements are satisfied before issuing a Final Certificate.

NHBC does not determine liability, calculate charges, collect payments or consider Levy appeals.

Please contact your NHBC surveyor if you require further information.

For more information about the Building Safety Levy and how it operates, you can read Government guidance here.