Government and regulatory bodies have sent a stern warning to building owners to get on with remediation work or face “the full range of their enforcement powers”.
The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) has issued a joint statement with the Building Safety Regulator, the Local Government Association and the National Fire Chiefs Council criticising building owners that are preventing safety work from starting and are still failing to make their buildings safe.
“Building owners who are continuing to stall should know they are running out of time if they are to avoid being forced to act. With the implementation of the Building Safety Act’s new building safety regime and the imminent launch of the Building Safety Regulator, we are tightening the regulatory screw. Regulators will not hesitate to take enforcement action against building owners if they do not comply with their legal duties.”
Criminal offence provisions
The Building Safety Act extends the relevant existing criminal offence provisions in the Building Act 1984 with penalties of two years imprisonment and/or an unlimited fine. In certain circumstances, the Building Safety Act will extend criminal liability for an offence committed by a corporate body to its directors, officers or managers.
Since 2018, local authorities have taken enforcement action on more than 200 high-rise buildings. Fire and rescue services have also served more than 250 enforcement notices.
“We are united in our determination to ensure building owners comply with the law and remediate their defective buildings without delay. Local authorities and fire and rescue services are already taking enforcement against building owners who are dragging their feet,” added the DLUHC statement.
The Building Safety Regulator will start enforcing building safety in residential buildings above 18 metres or seven storeys in spring 2024.
