Building Safety Bill becomes Building Safety Act 2022

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The Governments Building Safety Bill is an innovative change to building safety legislation that was introduced in draft form in July 2020. The Bill’s purpose is to create a new outlook for the general public’s view on the construction and maintenance of residential buildings, which in turn will create enduring generational changes and a clear path for others to follow. The Bill is now an Act of Parliament as the parliamentary stages in the House of Commons and the House of Lords have been completed as well as receiving Royal Assent.

In light of the Grenfell Tragedy, anyone involved in the construction and maintenance of high-risk buildings within England, must follow the Bill which has outlined clear responsibilities and guidelines. Furthermore the Bill mentions the implementation of Building Safety Regulators, whom will be assigned to those living in high rise buildings to ensure their safety.

With the rise of the recent Building Safety Bill debates, two of the industry’s leading professional bodies for property management IRPM and ARMA, has now merged as The Property Institute (TPI). The newly formed organization has put in to place several significant changes to the Bill, such as:

•   Building Safety Charge Removal


• Appointment of building safety manager removal


•  Powers to be granted to professional directors to appoint third-party professional directors.

Andrew Bulmer, CEO of The Property Institute, commented: The initial draft Bill was a first step in the right direction towards alleviating residents fears over unsafe cladding by ensuring accountability for the safe upkeep of higher-risk buildings, whilst granting residents complete oversight of their own buildings compliance. In its current form, as law, it is a clear call for those in the sector - including property managers, developers and landlords to work together to identify, mitigate and manage risks to residents. 

We are pleased that policymakers have listened to key suggestions from ARMA, IRPM and other industry bodies to improve how the new regime will work in practice. We will continue to work collaboratively to ensure the new Act can become the robust safety net which the industry has been striving for following the Grenfell tragedy.

However, despite the progress made there is still a mountain to climb, and we are several years away from remediating all unsafe buildings. We are waiting to see whether developers who have signed the Governments pledge will remain true to their word and pay to fix these buildings, whether they do so to the right standard, and we also need a solution from Government for those buildings with no existing developer.

The daily strain on leaseholders, resident directors and property managers in affected buildings is extremely concerning. During the transition phase therefore, we will continue our efforts to ensure that the regulations and implementation of the Act is proportionate and practical, to avoid unnecessary delays.”

 

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29/04/2022
Author : Mary-Anne Bowring

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