Dear Constituent,

Thank you for contacting me about the Building Safety Bill.

I am encouraged that the Government is introducing an entirely new regulatory regime for high-rise buildings, that will take a proportionate, safety-first approach. The Building Safety Bill will set out a clear pathway on how residential buildings should be constructed and maintained.

The Bill will embed a Building Safety Regulator within the Health and Safety Executive, which will oversee the new building safety regime. The Regulator will be responsible for ensuring that any building safety risks in new and existing high-rise residential buildings of 18 metres and above are effectively managed and resolved, taking the cost into account. It will also hold to account those who break the rules and are not properly managing building safety risks, including taking enforcement action where needed.

Central to this world-class regime are the residents at its heart, which is why the Building Safety Bill will give residents a stronger voice in the system, making it easier for them to seek redress and to have their voices heard. The Bill will require an accountable person for a high-rise residential building to engage with their residents and establish a formal complaints process for them to raise concerns. A Residents’ Panel will also be created, which the Building Safety Regulator will consult on matters of interest and importance for residents of higher-risk buildings.

Crucially, the Secretary of State has announced that statutory protection for leaseholders will be introduced into the Building Safety Bill. This will mean that the ultimate owner of a building will be held responsible for all the work that is required to make it safe. I understand that work is taking place across government to provide the most robust legal protection and I look forward to further details.

On top of this, the Government is significantly increasing the amount of time that residents can seek compensation for substandard construction work. Under new amendments to the Bill, residents will be able to bring claims under the Defective Premises Act for 30 years retrospectively and 15 years prospectively. Residents will also be able to seek compensation for shoddy refurbishments which make homes unliveable.

I am confident that these reforms will tackle bad practice head on, building on the recommendations made in Dame Judith Hackitt’s Independent Review of Building Regulations and Fire Safety.

Thank you again for taking the time to contact me.

Yours,

EDWARD LEIGH MP