Major milestone reached in ending building safety crisis

Government cracks down on those responsible for unsafe cladding, as the Remediation of Unsafe Cladding Bill is introduced to Parliament today (14 October 2026).   

Everyone deserves to live in a safe, secure and affordable home. Yet, nine years on from the Grenfell Tower tragedy, there are still too many buildings with unsafe cladding and too many people feeling trapped.

The government took decisive action to speed up the pace of remediation by introducing the Remediation Acceleration Plan. Since it was published, over 470 more buildings are reported to have completed cladding remediation helping around 35,000 more residents to feel safer in their homes.

But the government recognises that more needs to be done, going further to identify and remediate all buildings and support residents in the process.

Building Safety Minister, Baroness Blake said: 

It's unacceptable that so many people have been left living in homes with dangerous cladding, anxiously waiting for those responsible to take action.

This Bill is a milestone in our mission to right these wrongs and ensure everyone feels confident in the safety of their home.

Crucially, it will ensure all residents have aroute to remediation, regulators have the powers they need to take action and that for all residents currently waiting, an end is in sight.

Drawing a line in the sand, it makes clear what works are required, who needs to complete them and what the consequences are of not taking action. Key measures include:

Stronger enforcement 

The Bill brings forward a new legal duty on those responsible for the safety of their buildings, such as freeholders, to identify, assess, and fix issues without delay anyone who obstructs this work could face criminal penalties.  

In addition, there will be a stronger enforcement framework to sanction responsible entity that fail to comply with a Remediation Order, enabling the First-tier Tribunal to hand down financial penalties of up to £500,000.

The expectation remains that by the end of 2029, every building over 11 metres with unsafe cladding should either have been remediated or have a clear date for completion the key change being that tougher powers will become available before this.

Clearer route to remediation 

As a safety net, third parties, such as Homes England or local authorities, will be able to step in and carry out remediation if those responsible continuously fail to act reassuring residents that works will go ahead. 

Additionally, if a building ends up with no effective owner or responsible entity, leaseholders will have clearer legal routes to take control of the building's management so essential maintenance and safety works can continue.  

Making sure all parties pay their fair share  

Developers, contractors and others who have paid to make buildings safe will have a simpler and more effective route to pursue cladding manufacturers to recover remediation costs, where their products have contributed to a building being unsafe unblocking technical legal barriers that have too often stood in the way. 

Greater transparency and certainty for residents and regulators

A new register of all medium rise residential buildings in England will help ensure no building falls through the net. Failure to register could result in civil penalties of up to £7,000 with higher financial penalties of up to £40,000 or prosecution available.

Fire risk appraisals of external walls (FRAEWs) which help determine whether remediation is needed will be required to follow a consistent approach to assessment, where buildings are judged on the same basis, and risks identified through independently audited, evidence-based assessments.

And where an assessment recommends remedial work, responsible entities will be required to share a plan with residents, setting out the steps and proposed timescales for remediating each building they are responsible for.

The Bill is expected to accelerate remediation for around 12,000 residents including around 3,000 residents whose buildings benefit from the remediation backstop, which may never have been remediated otherwise.

The new measures come alongside extensive work already underway to progress remediation, including over £5 billion committed by the government, as well as clear targets set for works to be completed, funding for buildings under 11 metres in exceptional circumstances, an extra £1bn to support social housing providers' remediation and extended funding for fire alarms to replace expensive waking watches. 

We also continue to deliver on the recommendations made in the Grenfell Tower Inquiry, including the recent appointment of an independent Chief Construction and Scientific Adviser to provide expert advice on the safety, quality and resilience of buildings helping deliver a better, more robust building safety system. 

Amy Rees CB, CEO for Homes England said:

Everyone deserves to feel safe in their home. These measures are an important step in accelerating remediation, strengthening accountability and giving residents greater confidence that unsafe buildings will be fixed.

Homes England will continue working with government, regulators and industry partners to help ensure no building falls through the cracks and that remediation progresses as quickly as possible.

Charlie Pugsley, Acting CEO for Building Safety Regulator said:

BSR is fully engaged with stakeholders to support building owners in fixing known buildings faster.  We will continue to support the government as a collaborative and proportionate regulator on the critical issue of remediation on higher-risk buildings across England.

Building Safety (Remediation of Unsafe Cladding etc) Bill

Explanatory Notes

Delegated Powers Memorandum from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Memorandum from the European Convention on Human Rights

Impact assessment from the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government