The government has announced a new building safety regulator that will have the power to prosecute property developers that do not meet safety standards. Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick revealed details of the plans on 5 July, which were drawn up in the wake of the Grenfell Tower disaster in 2017.
Jenrick said the purpose of the new regulator was to provide “essential oversight at every stage of a building’s lifecycle, from design, construction, completion to occupation”. It will also mean that owners and occupiers will have up to 15 years to take action on a substandard builder or developer, rather than the previous six years.
The bill will hold to account companies and individuals who are responsible for the safe design, build, and occupation of high-rise buildings, according to a spokesperson for the Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government (MHCLG). Property developers who fail to meet requirements could face prosecution, and other penalties.
Jenrick told BBC News: “The new building safety regime will be a proportionate one, ensuring those buildings requiring remediation are brought to an acceptable standard of safety swiftly, and reassuring the vast majority of residents and leaseholders in those buildings that their homes are safe.”
The bill will mainly affect residents of England, as the devolved nations will be arranging their own legislation for the matter. Labour party members have urged ministers to ensure the legislation safeguards leaseholders from fire and building safety remediation works in the future, pointing out that currently it does not do so.
Shadow housing secretary Lucy Powell said the barriers to mounting legal action were already too high and costly, and the outcomes too ineffective. The new Bill only requires building owners to demonstrate they have explored alternative ways of meeting remediation costs, after which the costs can still be passed onto leaseholders.
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