Building Safety Fund guidance for leaseholders
The Building Safety Fund was launched by the government in 2020 to cover the costs of remediating unsafe non-ACM cladding on residential buildings measuring more than 18 metres in height, where the developers responsible for the property haven’t committed to rectifying safety defects. It was paused for a while and relaunched in July 2022 with more of an emphasis on overall building safety and not just with regards to cladding.
Any safety defects in buildings of more than 18 metres high are considered and all applications must be supported by a Fire Risk Appraisal of External Walls (FRAEW). This has to be done by accredited professionals and must comply with the new PAS 9980: 2022 code of practice.
The purpose of the Building Safety Fund is to protect leaseholders from having to foot hefty remediation bills – The Building Safety Act came into force on April 28th 2022 to protect leaseholders from the costs of cladding remediation.
If you are a leaseholder and want to apply to the BSF, contact Cladding Consulting and we will guide you through the process. If the building in question is eligible for funding, the BSF will also cover our fees.
Building safety fund guidance for tenants
BSF applications must be made by the building’s Responsible Entity – that’s the organisation that holds the legal obligation or right to carry out the remediation works. So, if you are a tenant and are concerned about the safety of your home (if it is a building of 18 metres plus), you would need to get the freeholder or head leaseholder, a registered provider of social housing or a management company or Right To Manage Company to apply on your behalf.
If you are the Responsible Entity, Cladding Consulting can offer expert guidance from the initial application right through to the completion of remediation works. Our fee will be covered by the BSF if the building is eligible.
What if I don’t qualify for the Building Safety Fund yet I live in a building with known fire risk?
If you live in a building that is 11 – 18 metres in height that has life-critical safety issues, you may be covered by the new Mid-Rise Scheme. This is currently being piloted and will launch this spring.
The Developer Pledge is another means of funding remediation works on residential buildings more than 11 metres high. 49 developers have signed the pledge and are now legally obliged to remediate life-critical fire safety works on any property of 11 metres and above that they have been involved in building or renovating over the past 30 years in England.
For expert help, advice and support through the entire process, contact Cladding Consulting about the Building Safety Fund, the Developer Pledge and the mid-Rise Scheme. We’d be happy to talk you through the process and support your application from start to finish.
Sources
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/list-of-developers-who-have-signed-building-safety-repairs-pledge
https://www.bsigroup.com/en-GB/standards/pas-9980/