Something significant shifted in UK architecture in May 2026. RIBA published proposals that would make it a criminal offence for unqualified individuals to carry out restricted building design work — a move that changes the compliance stakes for every practice in the country. With the housing crisis intensifying and post-Grenfell accountability standards tightening, the regulatory environment has never been more demanding. The practices that will come out ahead are the ones treating audit-readiness as a workflow habit, not a last-minute scramble.