Building Safety Act update
The Building Safety Act is a very significant piece of legislation with wide-reaching implications across the residential property sector. The new rules and duties introduced under this act are focused on improving the safety of those people who live in the buildings.
We understand that the evolving nature of these new rules and the variations in the requirements for different building types can be quite complex. To ensure that our clients are kept up-to-date with the latest changes and understand the actions that may be required as a result, we have created a series of user-friendly factsheets that cover the key aspects of the legislation.
Reflecting the latest amendments in the associated legislation and regulations, we have recently created two new factsheets, one on regulator inspections & assessments, and one on Licence to Alter.
Regulator Inspections & Assessments:
From the 1st of April this year, the Building Safety Regulator has begun calling forward safety cases on registered higher-risk buildings. With more than 12,500 such properties registered with the Regulator, the information submitted is being used to prioritise buildings for assessment. This prioritisation will create tranches that will allow the Principal Accountable Person to determine if their building falls under the first or subsequent tranches. Assessments will be determined based on a variety of criteria including the inclusion of Aluminium Cladding Material and the use of Large Panel Systems, as well as the height of a building and the number of units contained. For further information please view the factsheet.
Most leases prevent structural work or work that impacts the internal part of a building without written consent, known as a Licence to Alter. Whilst the Building Safety Act introduces gateways that give the Building Safety Regulator authority from the design stage through to the completion stage of a higher-risk residential building, a Licence to Alter is unlikely to fall under these requirements unless there are significant changes to fire strategy and/or structural safety. However, changes under the Licence to Alter to buildings listed on the high-rise residential building register, may require the register to be updated. For more information please download the factsheet.
We will continue to provide regular updates on building safety. You can view all our factsheets here.
