Engaging with residents on building safety – briefing for housing associations

In April 2022, the Building Safety Act received Royal Assent, bringing forward a more stringent regulatory regime for higher-risk buildings. As part of the more stringent regime, the Act introduces new requirements relating to the way building owners and the Accountable Person of higher-risk buildings must engage with residents about the safety of their building. 

The Act will enable residents to play a more active role in the management and safety of their building, and give them a chance to participate in building safety decisions. Under the new requirements, residents will also be able to raise concerns directly with the Accountable Person who will have a duty to listen to them. 

While this aspect of the Act has not yet commenced, housing associations are already implementing resident engagement requirements relating specifically to safety. This briefing contains some examples of approaches and sets out the new duties on resident engagement.  

This briefing covers:  

• Building Safety Act requirements relating to resident engagement.  
• What an effective residents’ engagement strategy looks like and how it could be developed.  
• Duties on the Accountable Person(s) and the Principal Accountable Person. 
• Case studies illustrating how other housing associations have approached engaging with residents on building safety.   
• Reviewing the residents’ engagement strategy.  
• The government’s next steps in bringing forward this requirement.