Higher Risk Buildings (HRB)

The Building Safety Act 2022 amends the Building Act 1984 to: 

• create powers to prescribe requirements on those who procure, design, plan, manage and undertake building work
• introduce new enforcement powers for building control authorities

You will need to follow the building control regime if you:

• plan to build a new higher-risk building (HRB)
• create one through change of use or alteration / extension
• plan to undertake building work to an existing HRB

Check if your building meets the definition of an HRB

If your building meets the definition, see the Building Higher-Risk Buildings Procedures Regulations.

This means that: 

• you submit a building control approval application to the Building Safety Regulator (BSR) to obtain approval before you can start any building work
• you obtain approval when you make major changes to the proposed work
• the work is suitably completed to meet the functional requirements of the building regulations.
• you construct the work in accordance with those approval and that at the end of the project you provide evidence. through a completion certificate application to demonstrate that you built what you said you would or were given approval for
• the work is suitably completed to meet the functional requirements of the building regulations

Additional guidance

See keeping information about a higher-risk building: the golden thread on GOV.UK for reference. 

To help navigate the legislation and support the building control approval process for higher-risk buildings, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has developed some guidance.