All social landlords in England are required to submit quarterly data to RSH and MHCLG
Today (20 March 2025) the Regulator of Social Housing published the findings from its latest quarterly survey on the fire safety of 11 metre plus buildings in the social housing sector.
All social landlords are required to submit quarterly data to RSH and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government on the fire safety remediation of relevant buildings for which they are responsible.
Of the 17,299 relevant buildings reported, 99.9% had fire risk assessments undertaken and 11.1% (1,920) were reported as currently having a life critical fire safety defect relating to the external wall system.
73.6% of relevant buildings with a LCFS EWS defect are expected to be remediated within five years. Landlords have said that remediation timelines can slip due to factors such as navigating complex legal arrangements, difficulties sourcing contractors and supply chain delays.
Landlords are expected to keep accurate data and rigorous systems in place to make sure all tenants are safe. This includes any necessary mitigating measures to protect residents while works are completed.
Since 14 June 2017 a total of 2,545 buildings have been identified as having an EWS-related LCFS defect, with 625 (24.6%) of these buildings having been remediated historically and a further 123 (4.8%) buildings having work completed but awaiting a new building works assessment.
RSH will continue to monitor the performance of landlords in remediating 11 metre plus buildings and the progress they are making against their plans.
Will Perry, Director of Strategy at RSH, said:
"Tenants' health and safety is non-negotiable and we have a number of tools at our disposal - including these surveys, as well as proactive inspections and responsive engagement - to make sure landlords are making the necessary progress on fire safety remediation.
"Boards and councillors have a duty to seek assurance that landlords are meeting legal obligations for building safety, and that risks are being well managed and promptly remedied.
"This includes any risks to tenants while work has not been completed."
Notes
The data referred to in this publication were reported in the Q3 2024/2025 survey, which ran from 13 December 2024 to 22 January 2025, with data being reported as at 31 December 2024.
Remediation work has started (but not yet completed) on 18.5% (355) of affected buildings
29% (434) of landlords reported being responsible for at least one relevant building in this quarter. The majority of these were large landlords (those with 1,000 or more units).
Landlords reported that work had already started or is complete on 24.9% (478) of affected buildings. 21.1% (406) of affected buildings have a completion date that is beyond ten years or is unclear from the survey response.
LCFS are defined as defects, shrinkages, faults or other failings in a building that give rise to fire safety risks identified by a Fire Risk Appraisal of External Wall construction or a fire risk assessment (or equivalent) undertaken to industry standards.
We advise caution in interpreting data changes over time as they may be influenced, at least in part, by a change in the number of reported buildings and their assessment status at each quarter end.
