Duties of the accountable person (Part 1)

Following on from my blog on who is an accountable person, this is the first of four blogs on the duties of the accountable person

This blog will look at one of the key duties of the accountable person – the  requirement to register higher-risk buildings  with the building safety regulator, which Lauren Michaelides and I have posted on previously.

From 6 April 2023, in occupation higher-risk buildings  (for these purposes this means, buildings which are at least 18 metres in height or at least 7 storeys with 2 or more residential units, this includes flats or a bedroom in a hall of residence. Note: buildings that are used entirely as  hospitals, care homes or  hotels are excluded from this registration) must be registered by the principal accountable person (PAP) with the building safety regulator.  The deadline for doing this is 1 October 2023. 

Within 28 days of registration certain key information must also be provided by the PAP  to the building safety regulator. The provision of the key information is quite onerous.  Be aware that the government guidance says that the PAP has until the end of September 2023 to provide the key information, but this is not what the legislation says. At this stage it would be prudent for a PAP to ensure they can provide it  within 28 days of registration.

It is also worth noting that the Health and Safety  Executive  (HSE) website (the building safety regulator is part of the HSE) says that from 1 October 2023 all new build higher-risk buildings must be registered before occupation.