WIREDGOV

Time is running out for high-rise residential buildings to be registered with the Building Safety Regulator (BSR). 

• High-rise residential buildings must be registered with new regulator by October 1
• Register is a major step forward in building safety
• More than 10,000 applications started.
• Registration is a legal duty brought in following the Grenfell fire

The new watchdog will better protect people who live in high-rise buildings. It was set up as part of the Government’s response to the Grenfell fire.

If anyone lives in a building in England that is 18 metres tall or higher, or at least seven storeys tall, it must be registered with BSR. So far more than 10,080 registrations have started.

It will be a criminal offence for any qualifying building not to be registered with the new regulator after 1 October 2023. Registration opened in April 2023.

Those responsible for high-rise buildings not registered by the deadline could face significant sanctions, including prosecution.

Chris Griffin-McTiernan, Deputy Chief Inspector of Buildings at BSR, recently 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.”

BSR has been running a major marketing and engagement campaign since April this year to encourage registrations. This includes a programme of over thirty stakeholder events to help people with the process.

Guidance on registering and information on how to complete the application process can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/applying-to-register-a-high-rise-residential-building

Further support for building owners and managers is available on the ‘Making Buildings Safer’ campaign website here.

About BSR: The Building Safety Regulator (BSR) is established within the Building Safety Act 2022, as an independent regulator within the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). BSR will raise building safety and performance standards and oversee a new stringent regime for high-rise residential buildings, as well as overseeing the wider system for regulating safety and performance of all buildings and increasing the competence of relevant regulators and industry professionals.

About HSE: The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is Britain’s national regulator for workplace health and safety. We prevent work-related death, injury and ill health through regulatory actions that range from influencing behaviours across whole industry sectors through to targeted interventions on individual businesses. These activities are supported by globally recognised scientific expertise.

About the Building Safety Act, 2022: The Building Safety Act gained Royal Assent on the 28 April 2022 and makes ground-breaking reforms. The Act overhauls existing regulations and creates new powers that will enable lasting change across the built environment.