Gateway 3: How to Pass Effortlessly — and What It Really Means for Developers

The Building Safety Act 2022 changed everything.For the first time, developers, contractors, and asset owners are legally bound to prove that a high-rise residential building is safe — not just claim it is.

That proof culminates at Gateway 3, the final checkpoint before residents can move in. It’s the moment of truth for every project, and it’s fast becoming the defining measure of whether a development team has managed safety, information, and compliance effectively from day one.

What Gateway 3 Really Is

Gateway 3 sits at the completion stage of a higher-risk building (HRB) project — meaning any residential or mixed-use building above 18 metres or seven storeys.

It’s where the Building Safety Regulator (BSR) reviews the entire body of evidence — drawings, test certificates, fire and structural safety documentation, and the “golden thread” — before issuing a completion certificate. Without that certificate, a building cannot be legally occupied. Allowing residents in before approval is a criminal offence.

So, Gateway 3 isn’t just another piece of red tape. It’s the regulator’s final assurance that what’s been designed and built is safe, compliant, and ready for life.

Why It Matters

Gateway 3 was born from the painful lessons of Grenfell — where poor oversight, fragmented data, and missing accountability led to tragedy. This new regime ensures:

• No unsafe building is occupied.

• Developers are accountable for what they construct.

• Residents, insurers, and lenders can have genuine confidence in the outcome.

  
  

It’s not bureaucracy for its own sake. It’s the bridge between “we built it” and “it’s safe for people to live in.”

What Developers Must Submit

To pass Gateway 3, developers must provide a completion certificate application supported by clear, traceable evidence. That includes:

• As-built drawings – accurately reflecting what was installed on site.

• Fire and structural safety documentation – demonstrating compliance with all relevant Building Regulations.

• The full golden thread – a digital, structured record showing how the building meets regulatory requirements.

• Change control records – proof that every modification post-Gateway 2 was assessed, approved, and documented.

• A formal declaration – confirming that the accountable persons have received and understand the golden thread information.

  
  

In essence, it’s a detailed dossier that proves your building meets both the letter and spirit of the law.

Common Pitfalls — and How to Avoid Them

Although Gateway 3 is still relatively new, early submissions have revealed clear patterns in what slows applications down. The most common are:

1. Incomplete evidence: Gaps in the fire or structural documentation make it impossible for the BSR to verify compliance.

2. Weak change control: Design or product changes after Gateway 2 often lack proper traceability or justification.

3. Drawings vs. reality conflicts: As-built information doesn’t always reflect what’s on site, leading to queries and resubmissions.

4. System integration issues: Safety systems that work in isolation may not integrate properly when tested together.

   
   

The solution? Treat your evidence as a live record throughout construction, not as a file-gathering exercise at the end.

How to Make Gateway 3 Effortless

Passing Gateway 3 shouldn’t feel like a scramble. With the right structure and discipline, it becomes a natural outcome of good information management.

Here’s how the most successful developers are getting it right:

1. Keep the golden thread truly "alive": Don’t let digital information lag behind site progress. Maintain an up-to-date, verifiable record of design decisions, test results, and material substitutions in one place — ideally in a permanent, centralised digital system such as Building Passport.

   
   

2. Engage early with the regulators: Developers who stay in dialogue with Registered Building Inspectors (RBIs) and the BSR Regulatory Lead throughout construction face fewer surprises at completion. Early engagement = faster approval.

   
   

3. Record change control visibly: Every change — whether it’s a new cladding product, a modified wall detail, or a different fire door spec — should have an audit trail showing what changed, why, and who approved it.

   
   

4. Conduct internal 'mock audits': Before submission, carry out an internal review as if you were the regulator.Check that drawings, test certificates, and manufacturer data sheets align perfectly with what’s on site.

   
   

5. Think of Gateway 3 as a showcase, not a hurdle: The projects that glide through approval are those that treat Gateway 3 as an opportunity to demonstrate excellence, not just compliance.

Early Lessons from Real Projects

By late 2025, only a small number of Gateway 3 applications had reached the BSR. Of those:

• Nine were approved and issued completion certificates.

• Seven remained under review due to missing or inconsistent information.

  
  

That 56% success rate tells its own story — those who invested in proactive evidence management sailed through, while those who treated compliance as an afterthought met delays.

In almost every case, the differentiator was how well the golden thread was maintained during construction.

The Cultural Shift Behind Gateway 3

For many teams, Gateway 3 represents more than a procedural change — it’s a mindset shift.

Completion certificates are no longer just paperwork; they’re the regulator’s final sign-off on competence and integrity. A building might look finished, but until its evidence is watertight, it isn’t complete.

This new culture rewards transparency, planning, and accountability. It also creates a clearer divide between developers who truly manage safety — and those who simply say they do.

How Building Passport Simplifies the Process

Gateway 3 success relies on one thing above all: structured, accessible information.

That’s exactly what Building Passport was designed to deliver — a permanent digital home for every document, drawing, and decision relating to a building.

It automates the classification, linking, and retrieval of compliance data so teams can:

• Maintain a live golden thread throughout design and construction.

• Instantly demonstrate change control and traceability.

• Share verified information securely with RBIs, clients, and the BSR.

• Hand over an organised digital record that continues to support the building through its occupation phase.

  
  

In short, Building Passport helps you avoid the panic, duplication, and rework that have slowed many early Gateway 3 submissions.

The Bottom Line

Gateway 3 is not designed to trip developers up — it’s designed to protect lives, reputations, and investments. Those who embrace it early, build with evidence in mind, and keep information alive through systems like Building Passport are discovering that “effortless compliance” isn’t a myth — it’s a method.

When your documentation tells the same story your building does, passing Gateway 3 becomes the easy part.