What Is a Building Safety Case, Why It Matters, and Our Journey to Create One

Producing a Building Safety Case

The Building Safety Act 2022 has introduced new legal duties for any residential building over six storeys or 18 meters in height. Accountable individuals for these tall residential buildings must be ready to apply for a Building Assurance Certificate when requested by the new Building Safety Regulator. This process involves submitting a Building Safety Case Report, supported by a full Building Safety Case.

Why It Matters

Without a Building Assurance Certificate, a tall residential building might face issues being occupied. It's critical to understand what is involved in creating a Building Safety Case and Report to ensure compliance. Fortunately, as of November 2024, the Regulator is focusing on the oldest, tallest, and highest-risk buildings first. This provides residents and property managers the opportunity to plan now to ensure they are fully prepared when the time comes.

Sharing Our Journey

ALLRES was founded with the belief that meeting the requirements of the Building Safety Act demands a fresh approach to property management—one that combines modern technology with deep technical expertise. 

In our conversations with residents, we've noticed significant confusion surrounding Building Safety Cases. Questions like What exactly is a Building Safety Case?, How much should it cost?, and Who is ultimately responsible for producing and paying for it? are common.

To help demystify the process and provide some clarity, we are documenting our journey to produce a Building Safety Case for one of the tall buildings we manage. We want to show how effective property management can support safety compliance without unnecessary costs or complexity.

Our Mission

We have some clear goals for this series of articles:

• Transparency on Costs: We want to show that producing a Building Safety Case should be as cost-effective as possible, with costs adjusted to each building's unique needs. One size does not fit all.
• Justification for Value: Property managers should be able to easily justify and explain any associated costs to residents, so there's no ambiguity about whether you're getting value for money.
• Ongoing Updates: A Building Safety Case should be part of the day-to-day job for your property manager. We believe that keeping the Safety Case updated continuously can eliminate the need for costly, large-scale refreshes in the future. 
• Beyond One-Off Reports: Creating a Building Safety Case isn't just about hiring a consultant to produce a static document that gets filed away. Instead, it's about creating a system that property managers use on an ongoing basis to ensure safety and compliance are baked into everyday management activities.

In our next article, we’ll dive into our plan and methodology for getting a Building Safety Case and Report ready for the regulator.

We'll share the details, insights, and lessons we uncover along the way as we develop and implement our approach.