Improving proportionality and building safety outcomes in building control: emergency repairs under the higher-risk building regime

Overview

This consultation seeks views on proposals regarding the emergency repairs provision for building work to existing Higher-Risk Buildings (HRB) regime. The consultation also seeks views on how guidance and clarity around what constitutes an emergency repair can be improved.  

The emergency repairs provision allows repairs in an HRB to be carried out where there is a serious and immediate risk to the health, safety, and welfare of persons in or about the building, and where applying for building control approvals via the Building Safety Regulator (BSR) would be too slow. It is intended to enable swift action in response to imminent danger, whilst maintaining regulatory oversight.

In practice, however, we recognise that there are some types of critical works that need to progress more quickly through the HRB regime to rectify an urgent need or risk, but which do not fall within the current scope of the emergency repairs provision. In addition, the wording of the provision has created confusion for dutyholders and residents alike regarding which circumstances would allow use of the route, leading to misuse of the provision and hesitancy among dutyholders to use the route over concerns of enforcement action. This creates additional unintended delays to safety critical works taking place and reliance on costly temporary measures like waking watches. This is unacceptable – everyone deserves to feel safe in their home and the regime should not be discouraging work in genuine emergencies. 

We are committed to ensuring the emergency repairs provision is fit for purpose, proportionate, and protects resident safety and welfare. We are therefore considering proposals to expand the scope of the provision. Specifically, this consultation considers two proposals to extend the emergency repairs provision: firstly, to amend the provision to include a wider range of ‘emergency works’, rather than merely ‘emergency repairs’; second, introducing a new, separate route for a limited selection of critical works which are genuinely urgent but need to proceed quicker than the 8-week statutory determination time for a valid building control application. We invite evidence and views on these proposals, with detailed reasoning outlined below. 

These changes are not a compromise on safety. Rather, they are intended to enable emergency work to proceed efficiently and without undue delays, making sure critical risks to residents and building users are fixed as quickly as possible whilst upholding the safety intent and robust oversight of the HRB regime. 

These proposals form part of a broader package of reforms which the Ministry of Housing, Communities, and Local Government (MHCLG) and the BSR are considering to improve proportionality, efficiency, and safety in the HRB regime. 

Why your views matter

This consultation is open to everyone. We wish to hear from a wide range of interested parties from across the public and private sectors, as well as from members of the public. The BSR will be invited to respond formally as required under s120B(3) of the Building Act 1984.