Social Rented Housing: Safety
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the need for additional guidance to ensure that post-war low-rise council blocks, not covered by the Building Safety Act, are proactively inspected and maintained.
Answered by Samantha Dixon
Building owners are responsible for managing building safety and performance issues in their buildings in a proportionate, risk-based and evidence-based manner, and for taking action where necessary.
Existing legislation and guidance already require building owners and responsible persons to identify, assess and manage safety risks in residential buildings, including low-rise council blocks. This includes requirements under the Housing Health and Safety Rating System and the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005.
The Government keeps building safety requirements under review. Updated HHSRS regulations and guidance came into force in June 2026.
Current HHSRS guidance is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/housing-health-and-safety-rating-system-hhsrs-guidance.
Current FSO guidance can be found here: ‘A guide to making your small block of flats safe from fire’ and ‘Fire safety in purpose-built blocks of flats’.
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