The Building Safety Act 2022 has come into force today [28 June], providing many leaseholders with legal protection from unfair bills to make their homes safe.
After achieving Royal Ascent back in April, the aim of the Act is to ensure that residents in high-rise buildings will have more of a say in regards to the management of their building and they will be able to raise any building safety concerns with owners and managers. Managers and owners will then have a duty to listen to them and if the residents feel they are not being listened to, they can raise their concerns with the Building Safety Regulator.
Industry reaction
Responding to the new measures, Cllr Darren Rodwell, housing spokesman of the Local Government Association (LGA), said: “The LGA has long argued that blameless leaseholders should not have to pay for fire safety defects resulting from 20 years of regulatory failure and industry malpractice.
“We are pleased the government has listened, although we remain concerned that the measures announced today will be insufficient to protect all leaseholders who own the freeholds of their blocks.
“The government is right to recognise that the regulatory system was inadequate and operating poorly before the Grenfell Tower fire. It now needs to take responsibility for that failure by ensuring social housing tenants have the same protection that it has offered homeowners.
“If councils and housing associations are not protected from the cost of fixing dangerous cladding and other fire safety defects those costs will inevitably fall on rent-payers. The government must also exempt social housing from the forthcoming levy.”
>>Read the full details about the Building Safety Act here.
