The Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024 (LAFRA) was passed swiftly on the final day of the last Parliament. As well as introducing long promised changes to leasehold enfranchisement and banning new leasehold houses, it...more
1. SUPREME COURT PUTS COLLATERAL WARRANTIES IN THEIR THEIR PLACE - Can a collateral warranty be a "construction contract" under the Construction Act, an agreement for the carrying out of construction operations?...more
Welcome to the latest edition of Overriding Interest. Inside this issue: - New Joiners - Articles of Interest - Events - Case Reports...more
In this Insight, Olivia Turner considers the key features of the ABCA form for the Appointment of a Building Control Approver that clients should be aware of. Part of the transformation of the building safety regime...more
Over six months has passed since many of the principal measures in the Building Safety Act 2022 (BSA) came into force on 1 October 2023 in what was one of the most comprehensive reforms of building safety legislation in the...more
The government has published updated documentation under the Building Regulations 2010 confirming that new residential buildings in England, which are 18 metres or more in height, will be required to have a second staircase....more
In this article, we discuss the key findings from the UK government’s response to the consultation on its new powers to impose a ‘Building Safety Levy’ (“Levy”) under the Building Safety Act 2022 (“BSA 2022”)....more
2024 has brought with it a raft of new building safety legislation. Here is an update on what’s new – particularly in relation to building assessment certificates and the golden thread of information....more
It's now been more than four months since the Building Safety Act 2022 (BSA) introduced new requirements that sought to improve the overall safety of high-rise buildings that have some element of residential use. Incepted to...more
In our update a year ago, we reported on the first remediation contribution order (RCO) made by the First Tier Tribunal (FTT) under section 124 of the Building Safety Act 2022. In Triathlon Homes LLP v Stratford Village...more
In this Insight, first published in PLC, Freya Scott discusses the RICS Sustainability Report 2023, considers some of the barriers to achieving the carbon net zero goal by 2050 and what can be done to overcome these. ...more
The UAE is leading the way in the Middle East in incorporating sustainability and environmental standards in construction and real estate. Ian Bevan and Ejiro Otu discuss that there is still more to be done to incentivise...more
1 October is the deadline for registering higher-risk buildings. Here is a brief recap on everything you need to know about registration. Anyone responsible for the safety of a higher-risk building (over 18 metres, or 7...more
The enactment of the Building Safety Act 2022 (the “Act”) in the United Kingdom brings about significant changes to building safety regulations. While the Act primarily aims to enhance building safety standards, it also...more
On 17 August 2023, the government published details of the design, construction and occupation regimes which will be introduced for higher-risk buildings, coming into effect on 1 October 2023. Those affected should...more
The responsible actors scheme – which requires residential property developers to agree to remediate fire safety defects in relevant buildings, or face being barred from securing planning permission or building control...more
Since the major fire event at Grenfell Tower in June 2017, a significant period of cultural and professional change has occurred within the construction industry in regard to fire safety. During this period, we have seen the...more
The registration process for higher-risk buildings opened on 12 April 2023, and anyone responsible for registration must make sure their building has been registered by 1 October 2023, or face a possible fine or imprisonment....more
1 April 2023 sees the last step in the MEES phase 1 journey come to fruition – meaning that (with limited exceptions) you cannot continue to let sub-standard property (that has an EPC rating below an E) without registering an...more
The government has published the draft Higher-Risk Buildings (Descriptions and Supplementary Provisions) Regulations. In this Insight, Katharine Tulloch and Corinna Whittle take a closer look at them....more
The last year has seen a huge amount of change, both politically and economically, which has also been reflected in a constant array of new government policies. What is coming down the line in terms of new legislation in 2023...more
In a previous blog, I explored one aspect of the statutory reallocation of risk for the costs of works to remedy building safety issues in the Building Safety Act 2022 (BSA 2022). The focus of that blog was the new landlord’s...more
The Building Safety Act 2022 imposes new safety duties on building owners and landlords and new liabilities for non-compliance. When landed with a bill for remedial works, landlords must now also look to the restrictions on...more
The Building Safety Act 2022 (BSA 2022) creates a whole new world of building safety regulation and litigation. A key legislative objective was to regulate and direct responsibility for the cost of works to remedy building...more
The Building Safety Act 2022 received royal assent on 28 April 2022, with its provisions coming into force over the following 18-month period. One of the key elements of the Act is the introduction of specific building...more