In the wake of the Grenfell tragedy, several pieces of legislation were introduced to improve safety in high rise-buildings. Principal among these was the Building Safety Act 2022, described by the government as “the biggest change to building safety regulation in a generation”.
As part of this law, the government has created the Building Safety Regulator (BSR). This is an independent division of the HSE, tasked with improving building standards and ensuring that safety protocols are followed.
For this to happen, there needs to be greater accountability. That’s why those responsible for high-rise buildings are being asked to register with the BSR before October 2023. HSE chief executive Sarah Albon explains the importance of this measure:
“This registration process is an important step towards building a safer future for residents of high-rise buildings. We want it to be clear where responsibility for safety in these buildings lies.”
If you manage a high-rise building, you will need to register it with the BSR. Failure to do so can lead to strict penalties, so it’s important to understand your obligations. Here’s our guide to the upcoming deadlines and the actions you need to take.
Which buildings does the law apply to?
Under the Building Safety Act, all higher-risk buildings must be registered with the BSR. A building falls into this category if it contains two or more residential units and is at least 18 metres or seven stories tall.
Most higher-risk buildings are blocks of flats, but some office blocks will also fall into this category. If your office is housed within a mixed-use building that contains residential units, it will need to be registered with the BSR.
Who is responsible for registering a building?
As well as creating the BSR, the Building Safety Act also introduced the role of “accountable person”. This is the individual or organisation that is responsible for repairing communal areas and ensuring that fire safety standards are met within a high rise building. Along with these duties, the accountable person must register the building with the BSR.
A building may have more than one accountable person. In these cases, a “principal accountable person” needs to be appointed. This is the person who owns the building or is legally responsible for its structure and exterior. It is the principal accountable person who should register the building.
How do I register?
If you are an accountable person or principle accountable person, you need to know that registration will open in April via a portal on the gov.uk website. In the meantime, the government has launched the Making Buildings Safer campaign to help you prepare. Before registering, you are advised to gather the following information:
- The name, address and postcode of the building
- The building’s height in metres
- The number of floors within the building
- The names of the accountable person or persons and which parts of the building they are responsible for
- The year the building was completed
Further help with high-rise buildings
The deadline isn’t until October, but the sooner you register the better. If you have any questions about the registration process, or about support relating to the Building Safety Act in general, don’t hesitate to give us a call.
