What Does the Building Safety Act Require Accountable Persons to Do?

If you own, manage or have a legal interest in a residential building over 18 metres or seven storeys, the Building Safety Act 2022 has fundamentally changed your legal obligations. The Act introduced the concept of the Accountable Person — a defined legal role that carries ongoing, enforceable duties around building safety.

Who Is the Accountable Person?

The Accountable Person (AP) is the individual or organisation responsible for the common parts of a higher-risk residential building. In practice this is typically the freeholder, head leaseholder, a management company, or a residents' management company. Where there are multiple Accountable Persons, one must be designated as the Principal Accountable Person (PAP) — who carries the highest level of responsibility.

The Seven Core Duties

1. Register with the Building Safety Regulator

All higher-risk buildings must be registered with the BSR. Since January 2026 the BSR operates as an independent standalone body with expanded enforcement powers. Registration is mandatory — failure to register is a criminal offence.

2. Produce and Maintain a Safety Case

The Accountable Person must carry out a thorough building safety risk assessment and document the findings in a Safety Case demonstrating what the risks are, what steps are being taken to manage them, and that the building is safe for occupation. The Safety Case must be kept current.

3. Submit a Safety Case Report to the BSR

The Principal Accountable Person must submit a Safety Case Report to the Building Safety Regulator. The BSR can request a copy at any time and has powers to enforce improvements.

4. Establish and Maintain the Golden Thread

A structured, digital record of key information about the building — from original design through to ongoing maintenance. It must include design and construction documentation, fire strategy, inspection records, and any changes made to the building over time.

5. Implement a Resident Engagement Strategy

Residents have legal rights to information about their building's safety. The AP must have a formal strategy documenting how they communicate with residents and how concerns can be raised.

6. Establish a Complaints Process

A clear, documented complaints process for residents to raise building safety concerns, with records of complaints and how they were resolved.

7. Carry Out Mandatory Inspections

A structured programme of regular inspections across all building systems — including facade, fire doors, electrical installations, lifts, legionella, and more. Inspections must be documented and remedial actions tracked to completion.

What Happens If You Don't Comply?

The BSR can issue Improvement Notices, Prohibition Notices, and prosecute individuals as well as organisations. There is no upper limit on fines for the most serious offences.

How to Register a High-Rise Building with the BSR

All higher-risk residential buildings in England must be registered with the Building Safety Regulator. Since January 2026, the BSR operates as an independent standalone body — and registration is a legal obligation that cannot be avoided.

Does Your Building Need to Be Registered?

A building must be registered if it is at least 18 metres tall or has at least 7 storeys, contains at least 2 residential units, and is located in England.

Who Is Responsible for Registering?

The Principal Accountable Person — typically the freeholder, head leaseholder or management company — is responsible for registering the building.

What Information Do You Need?

• Full address, height in metres, and number of storeys
• Number of residential units and year of construction
• Details of any fire safety works carried out
• Full details of the Principal Accountable Person and any other APs

The Registration Process — Step by Step

Step 1: Create an account on the BSR registration portal on GOV.UK.

Step 2: Start a new registration and enter the building details.

Step 3: Confirm Accountable Person details and responsibilities.

Step 4: Review and submit. The BSR will issue a Building Registration Certificate.

Step 5: Keep the registration current — notify the BSR of any changes.

What If You Have Not Yet Registered?

The registration deadline for existing buildings was October 2023. If your building is not registered, it is already in breach of the law. Operating an unregistered higher-risk building is a criminal offence. Register as quickly as possible.

What Is a Building Safety Case Report?

The Building Safety Case Report is one of the most significant new legal requirements introduced by the Building Safety Act 2022. It is the BSR's primary tool for assessing whether a higher-risk building is being managed safely.

Safety Case vs Safety Case Report — What Is the Difference?

The Safety Case is the full body of evidence — the risk assessment, supporting documentation, inspection records, and management arrangements. The Safety Case Report is the summary document submitted to the BSR, demonstrating that risks are understood and managed. Think of the Safety Case as the evidence base and the Safety Case Report as the argument.

What Must the Safety Case Report Contain?

• Building profile — design, construction, height, occupancy, and significant changes
• Risk identification — a thorough, evidence-based assessment of fire and structural risks
• Management measures — physical safety systems, inspection regime, and management processes
• Evidence of competence — demonstrating those responsible for safety are competent
• Resident engagement — how residents are engaged on safety matters
• Change management — how changes to the building are assessed for safety impact

What Standard Does the BSR Apply?

The BSR expects Safety Case Reports to be evidence-based, proportionate, and genuinely reflective of how the building is managed. Generic, template-based reports not supported by actual inspection evidence are unlikely to satisfy scrutiny. The BSR can request the full Safety Case at any time.

Common Weaknesses

Risk assessments based on assumptions rather than evidence, inspection programmes that exist on paper but not in practice, incomplete facade assessments, and the absence of a golden thread are the most common shortcomings we encounter.

What Is the Golden Thread of Information?

The golden thread is a structured, digital record of key information about a building — from its original design and construction through to its current condition and ongoing management. It is a legal requirement for all higher-risk residential buildings under the Building Safety Act 2022.

Who Is Responsible?

The Accountable Person — specifically the Principal Accountable Person — is legally responsible for establishing and maintaining the golden thread. It is an ongoing duty that must be kept accurate and current.

What Must the Golden Thread Contain?

• Design and construction information — original drawings, specifications, structural calculations, materials used
• As-built information — drawings reflecting the building as actually constructed, including changes and refurbishments
• Fire safety information — fire strategy, risk assessments, compartmentation evidence, fire door records
• Facade and external wall information — EWS1/FRAEW assessments, cladding specifications, remediation records
• Inspection and maintenance records — all statutory inspections, maintenance logs, defect records
• Management information — Accountable Persons, key contacts, resident engagement strategy

How Must It Be Stored?

The golden thread must be stored digitally, in a structured, accessible, secure and current format. Paper records, email folders and shared drives do not constitute a golden thread.

The CTS BuildSafe Platform

CTS BuildSafe is a purpose-designed compliance platform built specifically to help building owners implement and maintain the golden thread — with structured document storage, inspection management, compliance tracking, and BSR-ready reporting.

BSR Enforcement — What Happens If You Don't Comply?

Since January 2026, the Building Safety Regulator has operated as an independent standalone body with expanded enforcement powers. It has a board, a chief executive, and a strategic plan that makes enforcement a central priority.

What Powers Does the BSR Have?

• Inspection powers — inspect any higher-risk building at any time, with or without notice
• Information requests — require production of the Safety Case Report or any part of the Safety Case
• Improvement Notices — require specific compliance actions within a defined timeframe
• Prohibition Notices — restrict or prohibit occupation of a building
• Criminal prosecution — of individuals as well as organisations, with no upper limit on fines

Who Can Be Prosecuted?

The Building Safety Act provides for prosecution of individuals — not just organisations. Directors and senior managers can be personally prosecuted where an offence has been committed with their consent, connivance or neglect.

The BSR's Enforcement Approach

The BSR's strategic plan for 2026-2027 prioritises proactive inspection, scrutiny of Safety Case Reports, and a focus on whether Principal Accountable Persons are meeting their duties. The BSR has been explicit that enforcement is not a last resort.

Where Most Buildings Currently Stand

A significant proportion of higher-risk buildings in England are not yet fully compliant. Safety Cases are incomplete, golden threads have not been established, and some buildings have not been registered at all. The window for voluntary compliance is narrowing.