The government is bringing forward a new Remediation Bill requiring landlords of buildings 18m or more in height with unsafe cladding to complete remediation by the end of 2029.
The law will also set a 2031 cladding remediation deadline for owners of buildings 11-18m in height.
Under the new legislation, those failing to comply without a reasonable excuse could face unlimited fines or imprisonment.
The legislation will also give named bodies, such as Homes England and local authorities, powers to remediate buildings with unsafe cladding if the landlord fails to do so.
The proposals are part of the government’s second phase of the Remediation Acceleration Plan launched in December to rectify all unsafe high-rises in government-funded schemes by the end of 2029.
The government has also published a joint plan with the social housing sector backed by £1bn of investment to accelerate remediation of social housing in England.
Deputy prime minister and housing secretary, Angela Rayner, said: “We are sending a clear message to those responsible for a building still wrapped in unsafe cladding: act now or face the consequences.
“Our Remediation Bill will include a new duty on you to make your building safe by a specified date, and new powers to impose serious penalties on those who fail to comply with the duty, and ultimately to bypass them if necessary to make the building safe.”
The government recently laid in Parliament regulations for the Building Safety Levy, due to come into force in autumn 2026. The levy is expected to raise £3.4bn over the next decade to help fund remediation.
