The Building Safety Act 2022
The Building Safety Act 2022 is the most significant piece of building safety legislation since the Grenfell Tower fire. It establishes a new regulatory regime for high-risk buildings (HRBs) administered by the Building Safety Regulator at the Health and Safety Executive.
Why the Act exists
The Hackitt Review identified weaknesses in how high-rise residential buildings were designed, built and managed. The Act addresses those weaknesses by introducing:
- A new safety case regime.
- Mandatory registration of HRBs.
- The role of the Principal Accountable Person.
- The Golden Thread of building information.
- A duty of resident engagement.
- Mandatory occurrence reporting.
What an HRB is
The current definition is a residential building of at least 18 metres in height or 7 storeys, containing 2 or more residential units. See What qualifies as an HRB.
Key duties
| Duty | Who | What |
|---|---|---|
| Register the building | Principal Accountable Person | One-time registration with the Building Safety Regulator. |
| Identify the Principal Accountable Person | Owner | Name the person responsible for safety. |
| Maintain the Golden Thread | Principal Accountable Person | Ongoing curation of safety-critical information. |
| Prepare a Safety Case Report | Principal Accountable Person | Document showing how risks are identified and managed. |
| Engage residents | Principal Accountable Person | Adopt a resident engagement strategy. |
| Report mandatory occurrences | Principal Accountable Person | Notify the regulator of structural safety or fire safety occurrences. |
How PropLink helps
| Duty | Status in PropLink |
|---|---|
| Register the building | Live (registration reference and date fields) |
| Identify the Principal Accountable Person | Live |
| Maintain the Golden Thread | Coming soon |
| Prepare a Safety Case Report | Coming soon |
| Engage residents | Coming soon (BuildingThread portal) |
| Report mandatory occurrences | Coming soon |
Penalties
The Act introduced significant penalties for non-compliance. The Principal Accountable Person can face fines or imprisonment for serious failures. Civil penalties apply for failure to register, failure to provide the Safety Case Report on request and failure to engage residents.
Reading
For the authoritative text see the Act on legislation.gov.uk. For practical guidance see the Building Safety Regulator's guidance pages.
PropLink is not legal advice. Consult your solicitor for specific interpretation.
Related
Last reviewed 10 May 2026.