Building Safety Reforms Come into Force

This month marks a major turning point for building safety in this country, as a tough new regime is introduced to make homes safe and help rid the sector of bad practice once and for all, reports Abode2 luxury property magazine.

The Building Safety Act 2022 is now in force, designed to protect leaseholders from “unfair” bills to fix unsafe cladding and “make industry pay” for historical failings in design and construction.

Secretary of State Michael Gove has written to freeholders to explain the new laws – repeating the threat of “consequences” if they do not comply.

Many property developers have already stepped up; 45 of Britain’s biggest homebuilders have agreed to fix “life-critical” fire-safety defects on all buildings above 11 metres that they have played a role in developing or refurbishing in the last 30 years.

New rules allow the Government to ban non-compliant developers from building new homes, while also extending the Building Safety Levy, and  improving building owners’ rights to launch legal action against developers.

“This marks a major turning point for building safety in this country, as we introduce a tough new regime to make homes safe and help rid the sector of bad practice once and for all,” explains Levelling Up Secretary Gove. “Hundreds of thousands of innocent leaseholders now have the legal protection they rightly deserve, freeing them from a financial burden they should never have faced.

“I’m pleased that most of the largest developers have agreed to play their part in solving this. But there is more to do – we are focusing intensively on work with lenders to unlock the mortgage market and empower leaseholders to take their next step on the property ladder, and we will remain vigilant if anyone fails to act on the pledges they have made.”