Fixing cladding and safety defects: buildings at least 11 metres or 5 storeys (England)
Historic defects and safety measures
Remediation only applies to historic safety defects (known as “relevant defects”).
Cladding defects
Cladding is often thought of as just the outside panels you can see on a building. However, under building safety law, it refers to the entire external wall system. For example, cladding defects can include:
- external wall coverings (such as aluminium panels, tiles or timber)
- insulation inside the external walls
- fire and cavity barriers inside the wall
- brackets and support systems holding the external walls together
Other defects
Non-cladding defects are safety issues that are not part of the external wall system, for example:
- fire stopping that is missing or not working inside walls or floors
- unsafe fire doors
- gaps between flats or shared areas that should stop fire spreading (compartmentation)
- problems with stairwells, corridors, or escape routes
- structural problems in beams, floors or walls that are not part of the outside wall
Relevant safety measures
Relevant safety measures are the actions needed to investigate, manage or reduce the risks associated with any defect.
Examples can include:
- temporary fire alarms
- waking watches (a 24-hour fire patrol used to spot fires early and help people evacuate)
- professional work and fees (such as surveys or expert advice)
What counts as a historic defect
There are 3 tests to determine if something counts as a historic defect (“relevant defect”).
The date test (30-year rule)
The defect must have been created between 28 June 1992 and 27 June 2022.
Cladding exception
Cladding defects are not time-limited. A cladding issue can still count as a relevant defect if it meets the other tests.
The building test
The defect must relate to a “relevant building”. This means a building that:
- is in England (there are separate rules for Wales)
- is at least 11 metres high, or at least 5 storeys
- contains at least 2 separate homes
Mezzanine floors or basement level flats do not usually count as a storey. But there are exceptions. For example, if the entire ceiling of a basement flat is above ground level it may count.
Check the rules on building height, mezzanine floors and basement level flats (GOV.UK)
The building safety risk test
The defect must create a risk of fire spreading or the building collapsing and relate to at least one of the following:
- building work (such as construction, conversion or refurbishment)
- the professional or legal services for that work
Level of risk
The level of risk does not affect whether something is a relevant defect. This means that even if a low level of risk is assigned to a defect (for example, in a fire risk assessment) the leaseholder protections still apply.
- Last updated:
- 29 April 2026
- Next review:
- 29 April 2028
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