Building Safety: Regulatory Progress Doesn’t Mean the Job Is Done

By David Flack, Director of Risk & Compliance at SRVO Property

The Government’s recent decision to extend the Cladding Safety Scheme (CSS) to eligible residential buildings below 11 metres is a welcome step forward for the sector.

For many Resident Management Companies (RMCs), Right to Manage companies (RTMs) and managing agents, it addresses a frustrating gap that has existed since the introduction of the Building Safety Act. Many lower-rise buildings requiring remediation simply had no realistic route to funding, leaving leaseholders facing uncertainty and, in many cases, properties that were difficult to sell or remortgage.

While it is important to remember that the funding will be prioritised based on cladding fire safety risk, opening the scheme to these buildings should unlock projects that have been stalled for years and further remove barriers for those responsible for managing them.

At the same time, a separate but equally important shift is taking place in how the wider building safety regime operates.

The Government has indicated plans to simplify parts of the building safety regime, including proposals to expand Competent Person Schemes for lower risk works and streamline aspects of the Gateway 2 process. The principle is one the industry has long supported: regulation should be proportionate, allowing professionals to focus their time and expertise where risk is greatest, rather than applying the same level of scrutiny to every piece of work, regardless of complexity.

Although they address different challenges, both developments have the potential to help remove barriers to progress. Greater access to funding can help get previously stalled remediation projects moving, while a more proportionate regulatory process should make it easier to deliver lower risk works efficiently. Neither, however, should be mistaken for a signal that the hard work is over.

Recent research from The Property Institute suggests that some buildings covered by developer remediation pledges could still take another decade to be made safe. While government-funded schemes have generally progressed more quickly, a significant number of residential buildings remain in limbo, waiting for funding, technical assessments or remediation works to begin.

Extending funding to lower rise buildings is an important step, but funding alone won’t deliver safer homes.

The legal responsibilities introduced through the Building Safety Act remain unchanged. Responsible Persons, Accountable Persons, RMC directors and managing agents are still responsible for understanding the risks within their buildings, putting appropriate mitigation measures in place and ensuring remediation progresses where it is required.

For many organisations, the latest announcement should be the prompt to review their portfolios and understand whether buildings that were previously excluded may now qualify for support. Waiting until funding applications become commonplace or hoping the process becomes clearer risks creating unnecessary delays further down the line.

For lower rise buildings in particular, this means understanding not only whether funding may now be available, but what evidence is required to support an application and whether further technical assessment is needed. Acting early will put building owners and managers in a much stronger position to take advantage of the expanded scheme and progress works without unnecessary delays.

The proposed move towards greater proportionality is equally positive, anyone working in residential property knows that relatively straightforward building safety works can sometimes become caught in processes designed for much larger or more complex projects. In some cases, replacing a fire door or carrying out relatively minor remedial works can involve lengthy approval processes that add cost and delay without necessarily improving safety outcomes.

Allowing more lower risk works to be delivered through Competent Person Schemes has the potential to remove some of that friction while maintaining appropriate oversight. It should allow specialist resources to be focused where they are needed most, making the system more efficient without compromising safety.

That doesn’t mean organisations can afford to become complacent, and while building safety is moving into a new phase, the conversation is shifting from understanding new legislation to delivering it efficiently, proportionately and consistently across residential portfolios. That’s good news for the industry, but it also means those responsible for buildings need to remain proactive.

The organisations that will benefit most from these reforms will be those that continue to engage with residents, maintain regular and comprehensive reviews of building performance, understand the funding opportunities now available and keep remediation programmes moving.

For those navigating the expanded CSS, specialist support can also help turn that opportunity into action. We are supporting clients through the funding application process and, where lower rise buildings require further assessment, working alongside our partners at Diamond Fire Engineers to deliver Fire Risk Appraisals of External Walls (FRAEWs). Bringing that fire engineering expertise together with surveying, project management and building safety capabilities means clients can access a multidisciplinary team that can support them from initial assessment and funding through to the delivery of remediation works.

Regulatory progress is something the sector should welcome, but safer buildings won’t be achieved through policy announcements alone. They will come from competent advice, well-managed projects and a continued commitment to identifying and addressing risk.

The latest reforms should be seen as the start of the next phase of building safety, not the end of the last one. The opportunity is there. Now it’s up to the industry to make the most of it.

Sub note for website: The Cladding Safety Scheme Building Remediation Hub for low-rise buildings under 11 metres opens on 17 August 2026 and closes 8 weeks later on 12 October 2026. For more information, visit https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/buildings-under-11-metres-new-funding/buildings-under-11-metres-fund-overview