Build Safe Live Safe
The Building Safety Act 2022 is now largely in force and, in the Government’s words, “delivers the biggest improvements to building safety in nearly 40 years”. While some provisions are still being phased in and refined through secondary legislation and guidance, the core obligations on those involved with residential buildings already apply. Active compliance is essential if the delays, costs and enforcement risks associated with non-compliance are to be avoided.
The Act and associated regulations fundamentally reform the building safety regime, bringing new and stricter accountability for those responsible for residential buildings – including developers, contractors, building owners and managers. These duties are backed by robust enforcement powers and criminal sanctions for individuals and organisations found to be in breach.
The regime changes what information about a building must be retained, how it is stored, who is responsible for maintaining it and to whom it must be provided. Duty holders must now create and maintain a reliable “golden thread” of building information and, for higher-risk residential buildings, produce and keep safety case reports and resident engagement strategies. Much of this information must be accessible to the Building Safety Regulator and, in appropriate cases, to residents.
The new Building Safety Regulator acts as the gatekeeper through which duty holders must pass at planning, construction and occupation stages of a building’s lifecycle. Through its oversight of the gateway process, building control, registration and ongoing safety management for higher-risk residential buildings, the Regulator’s aim is to improve building and fire safety so that people will be – and will feel – safer in their homes.
As further guidance, amendments and secondary legislation are published, we will continue to update this page with practical insights on what the regime means in practice and how best to comply.
