Fixing cladding and safety defects: buildings at least 11 metres or 5 storeys (England)
Who pays for remediation
This guide applies to buildings at least 11 metres or at least 5 storeys in England. There are different rules for:
Cladding defects
Leaseholders should not be charged for the costs of fixing cladding defects.
This is because, under the Building Safety Act 2022, the cost of fixing cladding defects is usually met by the developer, landlord or through government funding.
Other defects and safety measures
The rules on who pays and how much are more complicated for non-cladding defects and relevant safety measures.
You cannot be charged if certain rules are met. For example:
- your landlord is (or is linked to) the developer
- your landlord is wealthy enough to pay
- your property is below a certain value
If you have to pay, qualifying leaseholders have a statutory cap on what they can be charged. Non-qualifying leaseholders have no cap.
Find out more about the leaseholder protections
Read our detailed guide to the leaseholder protections to:
- understand what protections apply to you
- check if you’re a qualifying leaseholder
- organise and send the proof that you qualify – your leaseholder certificate
- check if your costs are capped and how this works in practice
If you’re being billed
Your rights if you’re being billed for historic safety defects
Recovering costs and other support
You may also be able to:
- Last updated:
- 29 April 2026
- Next review:
- 29 April 2028
Related content
How the protections limit what you pay for unsafe cladding and historic safety defects
Advice guideCheck your rights if your landlord wants to charge you for fire safety work
Advice guide