The Most Important Building Safety Regulation Changes Coming In 2025

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It’s another new year, and with that comes a range of new building safety regulations that are coming into play. In order to ensure compliance and keep yourself and the individuals on your job sites safe, you have to ensure that you are up to date with all the latest regulation changes.

There was a lot of learning from the 2024 regulation updates and it’s not surprising that the learnings from previous years will be impacting the regulation changes you can expect to see this year. As the Government considers the reforms suggested in the final Grenfell Inquiry Report, these are some of the most important safety regulation changes the construction industry will see in 2025.

Firstly, What Changed In 2024?

There was a lot of movement in the Building Safety Regulation space in 2024. These are three of the most notable regulatory changes that we saw come into effect last year.

End Of The Grenfell Inquiry

After the Grenfell Inquiry’s phase one report in October 2019, the final report was finally published in September of last year. This included 1,700 pages with 58 recommendations for transformative change in the industry at all levels.

New Awareness Around Occupied Buildings

A lot of the focus when it comes to building safety has been on new buildings, but there was a growing awareness of existing and occupied higher-risk buildings in 2024. The changes we saw last year include understanding who the accountable persons are and their duties, what to do if the Building Safety Regulator tells you to apply for a building assessment certificate and more. This focus on risks and liabilities of existing and occupied properties is expected to continue into 2025.

Legislative Framework Solidified

The new legal framework for the building safety regime was locked in in 2024. Whilst we are expecting to see some additional changes, new regulations around duty holders and competence as well as changes for higher-risk buildings are already in the works.

What Can We Expect In 2025?

So, we’ve covered what happened in the industry in 2024 – now it’s time to look ahead to 2025. When it comes to the construction industry and building safety space, these are some of the things you should be keeping an eye on this year.

The New Labour Government

The new government and their policies are something you should definitely familiarise yourself with if you’re looking at getting a sneak peek into what may be in store this year. Keeping an eye on the budget is key for keeping up with any changes that may be coming your way in the building sector. You should also be keeping an eye on whether a building safety levy will be introduced this year under a Labour government.

Second Staircases

Rules about second staircases in new buildings over 18 metres are due to properly come into play in September 2026, but developers and designers may start including these in their plans sooner than that. Consider including second staircases early to bump up the value of your build. Whilst it isn’t a legal requirement until next year, including them this year will show that you’re informed and ahead of the competition.

Disputes

2024 saw an increase in disputes related to buildings and remediation works, and these disputes don’t appear to be stopping any time soon. You can expect to see more claims made under the Defective Premises Act as we head into the thick of 2025.

Remediation of Unsafe Cladding

This will continue to be a focus in 2025. Under the government’s remediation plan, all buildings over 18 metres with unsafe cladding in a government-funded scheme will have to be remediated by 2029. If these buildings aren’t remediated by 2029 or have a date of completion in 2029, landlords may be liable for a number of severe penalties.

What Else Can You Do To Keep Your Employees & The Public Safe?

When it comes to keeping yourself, your employees and members of the public safe – it isn’t just about keeping an eye on changing legislation and regulation changes. Ensuring you have the adequate occupational health and safety measures in place and using high quality safety equipment like GRP key clamps are both crucial ways to ensure the safety of those on your job sites.