Deadline for registering high-rise residential buildings passes and new fire safety guidance comes into force as October arrives

The deadline for principal accountable persons (PAPs) to register high-rise residential buildings with the Building Safety Regulator passed on 1 October 2023. Meanwhile, new fire safety guidance has also come into force, setting out new requirements for Responsible Persons.

High-rise residential building registration deadline

Costing £251 per building, submissions and payments must have been made by PAPs for high-rise residential buildings by the 30 September deadline.

There is an additional 28 days allowed to give more detailed information about the structure and fire safety information of the building after this date. This information is designed to help PAPs assess their building’s risk as part of the safety case.

Registrations should have been made by the Building Safety Regulator’s digital platform.

It is a criminal offence to allow residents to occupy an unregistered building after 30 September 2023. Further details around enforcement and penalties are expected to be detailed this month (October).

A high-rise residential building is defined as:

• At least seven floors or at least 18 metres in height
• At least two residential units

Buildings may be made up of more than one residential structure. Information that needs to be given to the BSR includes:

• the number of floors at or above ground level
• its height in metres
• the number of residential units
• its completion date
• its address or addresses

2,000 buildings left to be registered 10 days before deadline?

Reminders for registration were sent out by the Health & Safety Executive on 20 September. At that point, more than 10,080 registrations had been started.

Image credit: Alexey Sorokin/AlamyStock

There is believed to be around 12,500 higher risk residential buildings in the UK that would fall under scope, leaving over 2,000 yet to be registered just 10 days before the deadline.

At the time, Deputy Chief Inspector of Buildings at the Building Safety Regulator, Chris Griffin-McTiernan said: “I would encourage any organisation that has not registered their high-rise building, to do so now. There is guidance available to help you comply with the law.

“The creation of this register is a major step forward in terms of building safety in England. Residents themselves will soon have access to the register. This new transparency will shift power towards those who live in these buildings. Residents deserve the better oversight we will be able to provide with the register.”

Further reading:

• The Building Safety Act 2022: ‘Accountable Persons’ and ‘Principle Accountable Persons’ – What do these terms mean?

• Building Safety Act – Key concepts: What defines a higher-risk building or relevant building?

New fire safety guidance for Responsible Persons comes into effect

In addition to the high-rise residential building registration deadline, new fire safety guidance first set out in March also came into effect on 1 October.

Part of Phase 3 of the Home Office’s fire safety reform programme (Phase 1 was the Fire Safety Act and Phase 2 the Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022), a number of amendments to the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (FSO) have now come into force.

Aimed at Responsible Persons (RPs) Phase 3 aims to strengthen fire safety in FSO regulated premises by:

• improving cooperation and coordination between Responsible Persons (RPs)
• increasing requirements in relation to the recording and sharing of fire safety information thus creating a continual record throughout a building’s lifespan
• making it easier for enforcement authorities to take action against non-compliance
• ensuring residents have access to comprehensive information about fire safety in their building

Guidance in meeting these requirements was published in July and the enhanced duties of RPs have been covered by IFSEC Insider in this article.

The overarching duties involve:

• Recording fire risk assessments in full
• Cohesion with other responsible persons
• Identifying accountable persons
• Providing continuity of information

Further reading: Enhanced duties of responsible persons under the Fire Safety Order: An overview

Industry comments

Software providers have been quick to highlight the importance of the new requirements for RPs, noting how digital fire safety information management platforms can support in fulfilling new duties.

Maria Hudson, CEO of Zutec, said: “Deadlines have been looming for contractors, developers and asset owners alike for the new tranche of regulations concerning Higher-Risk Residential Buildings (HRRB). It’s now vital for those who aren’t ready to swiftly get their house in order to avoid heavy fines.

“Registering HRRBs and submitting the associated key building information within a 28-day time frame is now mandatory, and this new deadline marks the first step towards realising the new Building Safety Regulator (BSR) regulatory framework.

“However, without a solution that can identify information gaps and track document compliance in line with BSR requirements, submitting the information will be that much harder. Building information digitisation is one thing. Yet, it’s clear that accessing and understanding the right information at the right time will be another, and without a suitable platform to manage it, this could lead to unmanageable processes and lack of control.”

Rob Norton, UK Director of Digital Construction, PlanRadar also commented: “Let’s be candid: developers not primed for the new building-control regime should expect costly rework and delays.”

“This is an opportunity to elevate safety and quality standards in residential construction. Technology today offers developers precision and quality assurance from the inception to completion of projects as well as a single source of truth when implementing the golden thread.”

“The intricate data requirements now in play mean that outdated computer systems need upgrading. There’s an industry assumption that systems will magically work together to create the golden thread.

“In the real world, many companies use multiple data sets on a single project and different classification systems. Ensuring digital platforms communicate and integrate effectively – it’s critical for adhering to stringent building safety regulations.”

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