Around 750 applications have already been opened with the Building Safety Regulator since its new building safety registration process opened in April.
Registration is part of the new stricter regime from the Building Safety Regulator (BSR) to protect residents.
All high-rise residential buildings – those that are at least 18 metres tall or have seven or more floors containing at least two residential units – must be registered by law.
Those responsible for the safety of buildings have until the end of September to register or face prosecution.
The BSR, which sits in the Health & Safety Executive (HSE), says it is pleased with the early response from the building industry but is urging all owners and managers to act now.
While approximately 750 have started the process, there are up to 12,500 buildings in England which are covered by the new regulator.
The BSR is an independent body that was launched earlier this year as part of the Building Safety Act 2022.
HSE’s Director of Building Safety, Philip White, said: “We’re pleased with the early response from industry but I urge owners and managers to act now and register their buildings if they haven’t already done so. This is a legal requirement they will have to meet by the end of September.
“Registration is a crucial part of the new regime and our efforts to ensure residents of high-rise buildings feel protected and safe in their homes.”
Just last week at FIREX in London, the Operational Policy Development Lead of the Building Safety Programme, Colin Blatchford, reminded delegates that duty holders should be aware of the new requirements and should “act now”.
Information on how to register and what details are required can be found here. Building owners or managers must provide the number of floors at or above ground level, height in metres, the number of residential units, and the year of construction.
Guidance on the key building information (KBI) that will also need to be recorded under the new building safety laws has now been published here. This KBI registration element will then be added to the HRB online registration portal later this summer, said to allow sufficient time for owners and managers of buildings to submit their KBI by the end of September.
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