New content
See our new video – Replacing Your Fire Door – for buildings under 18 metres tall. This video is for leaseholders living in flats in buildings under 18 metres tall, and it explains how to find out who is responsible for your front door — including what your rights and responsibilities are.
Our services
In addition to the comprehensive advice about fire safety on our website (links below), we also provide free initial legal advice for leaseholders (full and shared ownership) in buildings containing flats, with or without cladding, to ensure they are aware of their rights and understand the terms of their leases.
You can get free advice from our experienced advisers by booking a telephone appointment or by writing to us.
If there are 20 or more leaseholders in your building, then an outreach event may be the most efficient way for us to assist. We can speak to your group either online or in person about a particular point of concern and have an advice surgery for individual advice. Please use our event form to make your booking.
Code of Practice for the remediation of residential buildings
The Code of Practice makes clear what you can expect during remediation works to fix the external walls of your building. All projects should comply with the Code, keeping residents informed and reducing the impact of the works on their lives.
Cladding Safety Scheme
The Cladding Safety Scheme provides funding to fix unsafe cladding on qualifying buildings in England. Eligible buildings must be over 11 metres outside of London and between 11 and 18 metres inside London, and the developer cannot be identified, traced, or held responsible.
Leaseholders concerned about their building’s eligibility should:
- contact the responsible entity to encourage them to apply to the CSS
- use the Tell Us Tool to share details about your building with Homes England, to help them identify eligible buildings so they can contact the relevant freeholder or manager
- More information about the CSS: Cladding Safety Scheme – what is it and how can I apply?Cladding Safety Scheme – what is it and how can I apply?
- Cladding Safety Scheme – Information for leaseholders and residents – GOV.UK
Building Safety Fund
Buildings with unsafe cladding over 18 metres in London could be eligible for the Building Safety Fund. Please see below for full details of the Building Safety Fund.
- What are the leaseholder protections in the Building Safety Act 2022?
- What is the Building Safety Fund?
- What should I know about the Building Safety Fund, opened in 2022?
- Who applies to the Building Safety Fund?
- How can I find out what happened to the Building Safety Fund application made for my building in 2020?
- What is a Fire Risk Appraisal of External Walls (FRAEW)?
- Which applicants to the Building Safety Fund need to commission a Fire Risk Appraisal for External Walls now?
- What happens to existing applications to the Building Safety Fund that didn’t make it to the application stage?
- What happens to existing applications to the Building Safety Fund that made it through to application stage?
- Why not just remove the cladding?
- What is the developer remediation contract?
- How will the developer remediation contract affect my building?
- Can building owners re-apply to the Building Safety Fund?
- Can my building owner apply to the Building Safety Fund if they have already started remediation work?
- Do I have to pay for the remediation works on my building (over 18m)?
- What is a “qualifying leaseholder” for leaseholder protections?
- What can leaseholders and residents do if their responsible entity is not taking action to rectify historical building safety defects?
- As an economic actor, will the Building Safety Fund be capped for my building?
- How will Government make sure that building owners make high-rise buildings with cladding safe?
- How is Government helping leaseholders and residents with mortgage and insurance issues?
Leaseholder protections in the Building Safety Act 2022
- Do the leaseholder protections apply to shared ownership leaseholders as well?
- Do I have to pay for the remediation works on my building (over 18m)?
- How am I protected by the Building Safety Act 2022? Do I qualify for protection from paying to fix my building’s safety defects?
- What happens if I do not have a ‘qualifying lease’?
- What happens if I sell my property?
Leaseholder deed of certificate
- What is a leaseholder deed of certificate?
- When do I need to complete and return a leaseholder deed of certificate?
- Why do I need a leaseholder deed of certificate?
- How long do I have to return the leaseholder deed of certificate?
- What happens if I fail to return the leaseholder deed of certificate within the time given?
- Leaseholder deed of certificate – frequently asked questions: GOV.UK
Landlord’s certificate
- What is a landlord’s certificate?
- When must a landlord provide a landlord’s certificate?
- What happens if a landlord does not provide a landlord’s certificate?
- Can I force the landlord to provide a landlord’s certificate?
Remediation orders and remediation contribution orders: Building Safety Act 2022
- What is a remediation order?
- How do I get a remediation order?
- Is a remediation order enforceable?
- What is a remediation contribution order?
- How do I get a remediation contribution order?
- Is a remediation contribution order enforceable?
Fire Risk Assessments
- What is a fire risk assessment?
- How do I get a copy of my building’s fire risk assessment?
- My building has no fire risk assessment. What do I do?
- Fire risk assessments: how often must they be done?
- Who is responsible for carrying out a fire risk assessment?
- Who can carry out a fire risk assessment?
- I’m responsible for fire safety in a block of flats. Do I need a fire risk assessment?
- Who pays for a fire risk assessment?
- Who is responsible for paying for works recommended under the fire risk assessment?
- Do landlords have to implement all the recommendations of a fire risk assessment?
Fire safety regulations
Waking Watch
Defective and unsafe cladding
- What if my building has defective or unsafe cladding?
- Do I have to tell my buyer about unsafe cladding if I am selling my flat?
- Has the government banned the use of combustible materials in cladding on blocks of flats?
- What are interim safety measures in the Building Safety Act?
Fire doors
- What is a fire door?
- Who owns and is responsible for the fire door?
- I own the front door to my flat and want to replace it. What do I do?
- What are the requirements for a fire door to comply with current Building Regulations?
- Can I be forced to upgrade or replace my front door if it is the door that was there when I purchased the flat?
- Who pays for the replacement or upgrade of an existing fire door?
- Who do I use to replace my fire door?
- Does my front door need to comply with current building regulations?
- Fire door regulations: what to expect from your landlord
Sprinklers
- Are sprinklers required to be installed in blocks of flats?
- Sprinklers and access for fire safety works: two important cases
Fact sheets on Fire safety
Template Letters
Building Safety Act forms
- Apply for a remediation order under the Building Safety Act 2022: Form BSA1
- Apply for a remediation contribution order under the Building Safety Act 2022: Form BSA2
- Apply for a determination on whether a landlord has failed to provide information or documents, and to require they are provided: Form BSA3
Fire safety news
- The Wales Leaseholder Support Scheme
- New guide for people with responsibilities for fire safety
- Six weeks for developers to sign contract to fix unsafe buildings
- Welsh Government’s Leaseholder Support Scheme – Expansion of Eligibility Criteria Announcement
- New fire safety regulations come into effect
- Leaseholders affected by cladding could find it easier to sell or remortgage
- Leaseholder Protections Checker
- Government publishes draft contract to turn developer pledges into legally binding agreements to protect leaseholders
- Government launches the Building Safety Fund Leaseholder and Resident Service
- Government replaces guide to external wall assessments with new BSI code of practice
- Fire Safety Bill comes into law in Wales
- Government announces EWS1 forms will no longer be needed for buildings lower than 18 metres
- RICS announces guidance for the valuation of properties in multi-storey, multi-occupancy residential buildings with cladding
- Welsh Government – Written Statement: Building Safety Funding in Wales
- Welsh Government – Building Safety: Updated Position Statement
- Wayfinding Signage
- Government funding for removal of ACM type cladding in high rise blocks
Articles on fire safety
- The use of wardens and recovery of costs from leaseholders – an important decision of the First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber)
- Cladding costs and fire marshals – a decision of the First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber)
- Dame Judith Hackitt’s independent review of building regulations and fire safety publishes its final report
- Costs of removal of cladding and waking watch
