All social landlords are required to submit quarterly data on the fire safety remediation of relevant buildings for which they are responsible. 

Today (19 December 2024) the Regulator of Social Housing published the findings from its latest survey on the fire safety of 11 metre plus buildings in the social housing sector. 

Of the 17,516 relevant buildings reported, 99.2% had had fire risk assessments undertaken and 11.5% (2,009) were reported as having a life critical fire safety defect relating to the external wall system. 

Landlords report that work is complete on 7.2% (144) of affected buildings (this includes those still awaiting building control sign off), an increase from 5.6% (108) in the previous quarter. Some landlords with multiple affected buildings have indicated they are prioritising works on higher risk buildings, which can be more complex and take longer to remediate.  

69% of relevant buildings with a LCFS EWS defect are expected to be remediated within five years, including 10.4% that are due to be completed in the next six months. 

In the MHCLG building-level survey, landlords were required to provide more specific dates for the status of remediation works in the quarter, including their commencement and completion. Some registered providers reported being unable to determine more precise dates and therefore chose to report ‘unknown’ timeframes in this quarter. 

RSH will continue to monitor the performance of landlords in remediating 11 metre plus buildings and the progress they are making against their plans. 

Boards and councillors must understand landlords’ legal obligations in relation to managing the safety of buildings and seek assurance that they are being met, and that any identified risks are being well managed and promptly remedied. 

Will Perry, Director of Strategy at RSH, said: 

“Fire safety continues to be a hugely important priority for the social housing sector. While the vast majority of buildings have no life critical fire safety defects, we are continuing to scrutinise progress closely for the minority that do. 

“We expect landlords to keep accurate data and rigorous systems in place to make sure tenants are safe - this includes any necessary mitigating measures to protect residents while works are completed. 

“The collection and publication of this data is just one of a number of tools we use, alongside our programme of inspections and responsive engagement, to make sure landlords are meeting fire safety requirements.” 

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