Building safety for high-rise residents
The Building Safety Act introduced new protections for residents of higher-risk buildings.
What the Act means for residents
Residents can receive and request prescribed building-safety information, participate through the resident engagement strategy and use the PAP's complaints system before escalating an unresolved building-safety complaint to BSR.
External wall safety
Many buildings are subject to FRAEWs assessing whether cladding presents a fire risk. Residents should be kept informed of progress.
Fire compartmentation
Compartmentation prevents fire and smoke spread. Report fire doors propped open, damage to fire-rated elements and alterations that may have compromised barriers.
Your rights
Request the prescribed information from the relevant AP or PAP and use the PAP's complaints system first. Keep records; an unresolved building-safety complaint can then be escalated to BSR.
What residents of a higher-risk building can expect
If you live in a building with at least 7 storeys or a height of at least 18 metres and at least two residential units, it is in the occupied higher-risk regime. The PAP prepares and reviews the resident engagement strategy and operates the complaints system. Each AP distributes the current strategy and manages fire and structural risks in the parts for which it is responsible.
You are also entitled to request the safety information the accountable person holds for your building, within the bounds the regulations set. Knowing these entitlements exist is the first step to using them.
Cladding, EWS1 and what it means for residents
For many London residents the live concern is the external wall. An EWS1 form is lender- and valuer-facing information, not a life-safety certificate. B1 means combustible materials are present but the assessed fire risk is sufficiently low that no remedial works are required; B2 means remedial works are required. Neither outcome determines urgency or whether a building can remain occupied.
Residents do not commission the EWS1 - the building owner or their agent does - but understanding what the rating means helps you interpret mortgage, sale and remediation communications. Where remediation is funded through the Cladding Safety Scheme or Building Safety Fund, timescales are set by the programme, not the individual leaseholder.
Frequently asked questions
Does the BSA apply to my building?
Residential buildings at least 18m or 7 storeys with at least two units. Some provisions apply to all residential buildings.
What is the accountable person?
An AP is an organisation or individual that owns, or has a legal obligation to repair, any common part. APs manage risks in their parts; the PAP registers the building and prepares the safety case report.
Can I see the fire risk assessment?
Residents can request prescribed building-safety information. The documents or information supplied depend on the statutory request and disclosure rules; ask the relevant AP or PAP in writing.
What if I have safety concerns?
Report the concern in writing and use the PAP's building-safety complaints system. If the complaint remains unresolved after that process, it can be escalated to BSR.
Primary sources and further reading
Links checked 18 July 2026. These primary sources provide general context; a competent specialist should confirm how the guidance applies to the building concerned.
Local Level 3 building survey guides
Savas Bulduk
BSc (Hons) MRICS, Director & Chartered Building Surveyor.
Writes on Building surveying, Fire safety and facade, External wall systems, Technical due diligence, Contract administration. See the full team profile.