The safety case report demonstrates how the building's fire and structural safety is managed
Under the Building Safety Act 2022, the principal accountable person (PAP) for an occupied higher-risk residential building prepares and keeps the safety case report up to date. Each accountable person (AP) assesses and manages fire-spread and structural-failure risks in the parts for which it is responsible and supplies the PAP with relevant evidence.
For the occupied-building regime, a higher-risk residential building has at least 7 storeys or is at least 18 metres tall and contains at least 2 residential units. The PAP is the only AP where there is one; where there are several, it is generally the AP that owns or has the legal obligation to repair the structure and exterior. A managing agent can carry out agreed work but does not become the PAP merely through its appointment. The PAP sends the report to BSR when directed to apply for a building assessment certificate or whenever BSR asks for a copy.
This guide walks through what each section of the safety case report typically needs and what evidence sits behind it. It is general guidance rather than legal advice - the regulator's published guidance is the authoritative reference for the duty itself.
Section 1: Building description and the principal hazards
The first part of the report identifies the building and describes its principal building safety risks. Standard content: building location and use, number of storeys and dwellings, structural form, external wall construction, escape strategy, fire-detection and alarm systems, sprinkler installation if any, and any unusual features (e.g. timber frame, modern methods of construction, refurbished from another use).
Evidence behind it: planning records, original construction information where available, refurbishment records, historic fire safety assessments, any FRAEW / PAS 9980 appraisal, any external wall remediation history, and the building's current fire risk assessment.
Common gaps: incomplete construction information for older buildings, inconsistencies between the original design and as-built construction discovered through refurbishment, and missing records of subsequent alterations affecting compartmentation or escape routes.
Section 2: How the principal risks are assessed
The risk assessment section identifies what specifically could cause uncontrolled fire spread or structural failure in this building, and how those risks have been assessed. Standard content: fire risk assessment summary, FRAEW or equivalent external wall risk appraisal, compartmentation assessment, fire door assessment, structural assessment, and any specialist appraisals undertaken.
Evidence behind it: the most recent fire risk assessment (which must address the structure and external walls, per the Fire Safety Act 2021), any FRAEW or PAS 9980 appraisal, compartmentation and fire door surveys, structural reports, and any specialist input.
Common gaps: fire risk assessments not yet updated to include the structure and external walls, no current FRAEW for a building that ought to have one, compartmentation surveys that lack location-specific evidence, and structural assessments that don't engage with the building's specific construction.
Section 3: How the risks are being managed
The risk-management section explains what is being done about the identified risks - what mitigation is in place, what remediation is planned, what monitoring is occurring, and how residents are kept informed. Standard content: ongoing fire risk assessment cycle, planned remediation programme (especially for external walls), management of resident information, fire safety information for residents under the Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022, and the mandatory occurrence reporting arrangements.
Evidence behind it: scheduled maintenance and inspection records (fire doors, alarms, smoke ventilation, sprinklers), planned remediation programmes and their funding arrangements, resident communication records, and the resident engagement strategy required under the Act.
Common gaps: remediation programmes that are planned but unfunded, resident engagement strategies that exist on paper but aren't operating, and inadequate change-management when works are carried out that affect the building's fire-safety configuration.
Section 4: Mandatory occurrence reporting arrangements
Higher-risk residential buildings are subject to mandatory occurrence reporting (MOR). The PAP must establish and operate the building's MOR system, while each relevant AP must submit notices and reports to BSR for reportable safety occurrences in the part for which it is responsible. The report should explain how the system operates, who makes reports and how residents, staff and contractors can raise occurrences.
Evidence behind it: documented MOR procedure, training records for staff and contractors who might identify an occurrence, contact details and escalation procedure, and any past occurrences that have been reported (or assessed and not reported).
Common gaps: MOR procedures that exist on paper but haven't been operationalised, staff and contractors unaware of the duty, and no clear ownership of the reporting decision when an occurrence happens out-of-hours or during transitions of property management.
Section 5: Golden thread of building information
The golden thread is the building safety information kept in a structured, accessible digital form throughout the building's life. APs and the PAP keep and manage relevant information; the PAP must make sure APs understand the policies for keeping and storing it. The PAP's report should explain what information is held, how it is controlled and updated, and how it is shared with those entitled to receive it.
Evidence behind it: the digital system holding the information, the document index, the document-control procedure, the access-control arrangements, the change-management procedure when information is updated, and the transfer protocol if the building changes hands.
Common gaps: information held in scattered locations rather than a single golden thread system, no clear version control, no record of who has accessed or modified what, and no plan for how the golden thread transfers if the building changes accountable person.
Questions visitors commonly ask
Do I have to prepare a safety case report myself or can I commission it?
The statutory duty sits with the principal accountable person. It can employ competent professionals to help assemble and analyse the evidence, but it cannot transfer its legal responsibility. Other APs remain responsible for assessing and managing risks in their own parts and supplying relevant evidence.
How often does the safety case report need updating?
The PAP should update the report when information changes, including after improvement work or building work that affects building-safety risks. It must notify BSR as soon as possible where an update records new or increased risks or further measures taken; BSR may then ask for the updated report.
What if the report identifies issues that haven't been remediated yet?
The report is an honest assessment - if remediation is in progress or planned, the report says so and describes the interim risk mitigation. Reports that present problems as already solved when they aren't are more likely to attract regulator scrutiny than reports that are honest about the remediation programme.
How long does it take to prepare a safety case report?
There is no universal timetable. The programme depends on the building information, the number of APs, the assessments already available and any proportionate investigation or specialist input needed. The PAP should prepare the report as soon as possible once the building is occupied or it becomes the PAP.
Can the safety case report be reused for multiple buildings?
Each building needs its own safety case report - they are building-specific. Common procedures and management arrangements may be referenced across reports for a portfolio of buildings, but the risk identification, risk assessment and risk management sections must address the specific building.
Where this usually links to live instructions
Safety Case Report Support London
Higher-risk building safety case evidence gathering, gap analysis and report support.
View Safety Case Report Support LondonBuilding Safety Act Compliance
Evidence, gap analysis and coordination support for higher-risk buildings.
View Building Safety Act ComplianceFire Safety & Facade Consultants London
Parent service combining FRAEW, EWS1, compartmentation and BSA support.
View Fire Safety & Facade Consultants LondonHousing Associations
Building safety, cladding remediation and passive fire protection support for housing associations.
View Housing AssociationsPrimary 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.
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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.