The case for mandatory builder licensing has never been more clearly evidenced. New research from the Federation of Master Builders, published in May 2026, reveals that 20% of homeowners in Northern Ireland have lost money to unqualified or unlicensed builders, with average losses of £493 per household, contributing to £14.3 billion lost UK-wide. More than one in four (27%) have hired unreliable builders, while 15% requested payment plans from contractors, 67% above the UK average. For building and architecture leaders, consumer trust is under pressure, and the route to restoring it runs through enforceable professional standards.

The research was presented at a FMB Parliamentary Reception at Stormont on 21 May 2026, making the case for a mandatory Licence to Build requiring minimum professional standards on site and tracking directors to prevent phoenixing. For legitimate builders, this is a commercial advantage, not a burden. Three dimensions define the opportunity: market differentiation for accredited firms, a more level competitive landscape, and a stronger foundation for public investment programmes driving residential growth across the island.

The Northern Ireland figures carry a cost-of-living dimension. FMB NI Hub Director Gavin McGuire noted that 11% of homeowners have taken second jobs to fund essential building work, and 37% have never hired a builder, indicating widespread deferred maintenance compounding the region's housing quality deficit. For qualified builders and architects, this suppressed demand is a substantial pipeline: once trust is restored through licensing, the deferred renovation work re-entering the market will be significant.

Ireland is already moving in the right direction. The Construction Industry Register Ireland, under the Regulation of Providers of Building Works Act 2022, enters its mandatory phase in 2026 with a phased rollout beginning with housing developments of ten or more units, apartments, and multi-unit dwellings. As DWF's March 2026 analysis notes, mandatory CIRI registration raises contractor competence standards while reducing risk for clients and consultants across Ireland's residential and commercial sectors.

Three actions follow. First, firms in Northern Ireland should support the FMB's Licence to Build campaign, engaging MLAs and policymakers to accelerate legislation benefiting every compliant operator. Second, firms in the Republic should treat early CIRI registration as a marketing asset, using registered status to differentiate in residential and public sector tenders. Third, both jurisdictions should invest in client communication strategies that make accreditation visible at the point of hire, converting professional standards directly into commercial advantage.

The £14.3 billion lost UK-wide to unqualified builders is a reputational liability for every legitimate firm in the sector. The FMB's licensing campaign and Ireland's CIRI rollout share the same ambition: a construction industry where professional standards are the baseline. For building and architecture leaders, the time to position ahead of that baseline is now, before mandatory compliance removes the advantage of having acted first.

(The views expressed by the writer are his/her own and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of BusinessRiver.)