What is the ARB?

The Architects Registration Board (ARB) is the UK’s statutory regulator for architects, established by the Architects Act 1997. It maintains the official register of architects and sets the standards of conduct and competence required to use the protected title “Architect.” In the UK, it is illegal to call yourself an architect unless you are registered with the ARB.

The title “Architect” is legally protected

This is the single most important fact many people don’t know. Unlike terms such as “designer,” “architectural consultant,” or “architectural technician,” the word architect is protected by law. Anyone using it without ARB registration is committing a criminal offence. This protection exists for good reason — it guarantees that the person you appoint has met rigorous academic and professional standards.

Guaranteed qualifications and experience

To join the ARB register, an architect must complete a minimum of seven years of education and practical training:

• A five-year accredited degree (three years undergraduate + two years postgraduate)
• Two years of structured professional experience in practice
• A final professional examination (Part 3)

This pathway ensures that every registered architect has demonstrated competence in design, construction technology, planning law, contract administration, and professional ethics — not just drawing skills.

Accountability and consumer protection

ARB registered architects are bound by the Architects Code: Standards of Conduct and Practice. If your architect acts unprofessionally, provides negligent advice, or mismanages your project, you have a formal route to complain directly to the ARB. The ARB has real powers: it can reprimand, impose conditions, suspend, or strike off an architect who falls below the required standard.

This is a significant protection that you simply do not have when working with an unregistered designer.

Professional indemnity insurance

ARB registered architects are required to hold adequate professional indemnity (PI) insurance. This means that if a design error leads to financial loss — a structural miscalculation, a planning mistake, a specification error — you have meaningful recourse. Without PI insurance, pursuing compensation through the courts can be costly and uncertain.

Value beyond drawings

A common misconception is that an architect’s role ends with producing drawings. In reality, a registered architect can:

• Manage the full planning and building regulations process
• Prepare detailed construction information that reduces on-site uncertainty and cost overruns
• Administer the building contract, protecting your interests throughout the build
• Coordinate structural engineers, M&E consultants, and other specialists
• Carry out site inspections to ensure work meets the specification

Research consistently shows that good architectural design adds value — to the quality of the space, to its long-term adaptability, and to the resale value of the property.

Why it matters for your project

Appointing someone without ARB registration is a gamble. You may receive competent work, but you have no regulatory guarantee of their qualifications, no mandatory insurance requirement, and no formal complaints process if things go wrong.

With an ARB registered architect, you have the full backing of a statutory framework designed to protect you. The fee may appear comparable to an unregistered alternative, but the professional security and depth of expertise are not.

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About Tim Evans — ARB Registered Architect

Timothy Evans is an ARB registered architect and RIBA Chartered member based in Tonbridge, Kent, serving clients across the South East including Sevenoaks, Tunbridge Wells, Westerham, Maidstone, and East Sussex.

Tim’s ARB registration can be verified directly on the ARB public register — the official statutory record of all architects entitled to practise in the UK.

ARB Registration	095341E — Verify on ARB register
RIBA	Chartered Member
Qualifications	BA (Hons) Architecture, MArch, Part 3 Professional Practice
Based	Tonbridge, Kent
Areas served	Kent, East Sussex, South East England

With experience spanning residential extensions, new builds, high-rise mixed-use developments in London, and historic restoration projects, Tim brings both the technical depth and professional accountability that ARB registration guarantees.

To discuss your project, contact TP Evans Architects on 01732 495 395 or email [email protected].