Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the requirement for new safety documentation where existing reports are not accepted on leaseholders.

Under the Building Assessment Certificate (BACs) process, Accountable Persons (APs) for higher-risk buildings must provide information about their building that demonstrates how they are managing building safety risks related to the spread of fire and structural failure. This is to ensure that accountable persons hold the information and documentation they need in order to be able to manage a building safely.

In many cases, APs will already hold and have access to documentation that shows how they are meeting these requirements. If existing reports demonstrate that the AP is managing safety risks effectively, they will be accepted as part of the BACs process. Only where necessary information is missing will APs have to take reasonable steps to collect it, which may include undertaking surveys and commissioning further reports.

To assist APs in understanding the requirements of the BACs regime, the Building Safety Regulator has produced online resources covering the BAC application and assessment process here.