BSR launches toolkit for high-rise building safety

The Building Safety Regulator (BSR) has launched a free digital toolkit bringing together guidance and training resources for organisations responsible for managing fire and structural safety in England’s higher-risk residential buildings. The initiative is intended to help principal accountable persons understand and carry out duties established under the Building Safety Act 2022, with particular emphasis on resident-managed buildings where directors may also be involved in overseeing statutory compliance.

BSR’s launch announcement states that the toolkit is aimed at more than 4,000 principal accountable persons overseeing more than 13,000 high-rise residential buildings. These figures describe the scale of the regulatory responsibilities addressed by the resource, rather than the number of buildings individually assessed or certified since its introduction. The toolkit brings together guidance that applies under the existing legal framework and does not establish new statutory obligations.

Principal accountable persons have a central role in the management of occupied higher-risk buildings. Their responsibilities include registering buildings with BSR, assessing and managing relevant building safety risks, preparing safety case reports and establishing arrangements for engaging with residents. The principal accountable person may be an organisation, such as a resident management company or a building owner, rather than an individual director or resident.

The duties apply to occupied higher-risk residential buildings within the statutory definition. In England, these are generally buildings measuring at least 18 metres in height or containing at least seven storeys, with at least two residential units. Other legal criteria and exclusions may affect particular properties, so classification depends on the applicable regulations rather than building height alone.

Fire spread and structural failure are the principal building safety risks addressed by the occupied higher-risk building regime. Accountable persons must consider the parts of a building for which they are responsible, while the principal accountable person has additional duties relating to the building as a whole. This can require coordination between different organisations where responsibility for the building is divided.

The toolkit includes resources addressing the preparation of safety case reports. These documents explain the building safety risks identified in an occupied higher-risk building and the measures taken to manage them. A report may draw upon information about the structure, fire safety arrangements, maintenance requirements, inspections and any relevant defects or previous alterations.

Preparing the report requires more than recording the presence of fire protection equipment or describing general management policies. Duty holders need to understand the building’s characteristics and the risks associated with its construction and operation. Where existing technical records are incomplete or concerns have been identified, specialist investigation may be necessary to establish the condition of structural elements or fire safety measures.

The safety case report is part of the existing regulatory process. A principal accountable person must maintain the required information and provide the report to BSR when requested, including during the building assessment certificate process. Completing a report does not automatically mean the regulator has approved the building or issued a certificate, and the toolkit does not replace that assessment.

Information about building assessments forms another component of the online resource. BSR previously announced plans to introduce a more proportionate and targeted approach to its assessment programme for occupied higher-risk buildings, with additional support for resident-led principal accountable persons. The revised approach to occupied building assessments is separate from the new toolkit, which brings relevant guidance and support resources into one location.

The toolkit also provides information on remediation in existing buildings. Remedial construction may be necessary where defects affecting the building’s structure, external walls or fire safety arrangements have been identified. The work required depends on the particular defect, its associated risks and the building’s physical characteristics, rather than a standard solution applicable to every high-rise property.

Remediation can involve investigation, design, approvals and physical construction work. Duty holders may need to coordinate with building professionals and contractors while maintaining arrangements for residents occupying the property. BSR’s resources provide information about the regulatory processes and responsibilities associated with such work, but do not constitute a building-specific remediation specification.

Where proposed work affects an occupied higher-risk building, the applicable building control requirements must also be considered. The extent of the work and its regulatory classification will determine the approvals and processes required. Access to guidance cannot substitute for obtaining the necessary permissions or demonstrating compliance with the relevant building regulations.

Resident engagement is another subject addressed by the toolkit. Principal accountable persons must establish arrangements for communicating with residents and obtaining their views on building safety matters affecting their homes. The resources include advice on engagement strategies, resident information and the processes through which people can raise concerns about building safety.

These responsibilities extend beyond circulating occasional notices. Residents need information that allows them to understand relevant safety arrangements and how concerns can be communicated to those responsible for the building. Engagement strategies must reflect the circumstances of the property and the people living there, including how information will be provided and how residents can contribute their views.

BSR has included material from its Your Home, Your Safety campaign, which seeks to improve understanding of residents’ rights and the building safety regime. Further guidance concerns alterations undertaken within individual flats. Such work can affect fire compartmentation, shared building systems or structural elements, making it necessary to consider whether building control approval or other permissions are required.

The regulator has placed particular emphasis on buildings managed by residents. Resident Management Companies, Right to Manage companies and commonhold associations can hold legal responsibilities for building management, while their boards may include residents without professional construction or property management backgrounds. Understanding the division between organisational duties, directors’ responsibilities and specialist professional advice is an important part of administering those arrangements.

Free training is being offered for more than 2,000 resident directors, including people involved in resident-managed buildings. BSR intends the training to support understanding of statutory responsibilities and the processes associated with building safety management. The number identifies the scale of the training offer described in the launch announcement and should not be interpreted as a completed training total.

The resources also include recorded webinars, questions and answers, guides, alerts and links to official guidance for occupied buildings. Combining those materials on a single website is intended to make it easier to locate information about related responsibilities, such as risk management, remediation and resident engagement. Their availability does not transfer statutory responsibility from accountable persons to the regulator or the training provider.

Technical advice remains necessary where a building’s condition cannot be established from existing records. Structural engineers, fire safety professionals, surveyors and other competent specialists may be required to investigate defects, assess systems or develop repair proposals. General guidance explains the framework within which such decisions must be taken, but cannot establish the safety of an individual building without the relevant evidence.

Charlie Pugsley, Acting Chief Executive Officer of the Building Safety Regulator, described the launch as an additional source of support for principal accountable persons, particularly those in resident-managed buildings. BSR says the centralised resources are intended to help duty holders manage the requirements of the Building Safety Act while providing access to training and guidance on specific responsibilities.

The regulator plans to update the toolkit regularly as further guidance and materials become available. Principal accountable persons and other interested parties can access it through the Making Buildings Safer website and subscribe to updates. No new deadline for safety case reports, separate certification arrangement or amendment to the legal definition of a higher-risk building has been announced as part of the toolkit launch.

The immediate development is the availability of a centralised support resource covering existing duties. Its practical effect will depend on whether the relevant organisations use the guidance and training appropriately while continuing to obtain building-specific professional advice where necessary. BSR has not published a measured improvement in compliance or building safety attributable to the new toolkit.