Building safety round-up: September 2025

• The Scottish government has adopted similar targets to its English counterpart for cladding remediation, with a ministerial statement setting out an ambition to complete work to all affected blocks taller than 18 metres by 2029 and to have all buildings between 11 and 18 metres on a path to remediation by this date. In Scotland, buildings receive a government-backed Single Building Assessment before being deemed in need of remediation or not.

• The figures came amid criticism of the Scottish government for slow allocation of cash for building safety remediation. Out of a total £97m fund provided in 2020, £11m has been spent and a further £47m allocated. A Liberal Democrat spokesperson said the “sluggish” speed was “increasing the risk to people’s lives. 

• Management consultant Artelia has pushed back against the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea’s attempt to sue the firm among various other bodies involved in the Grenfell Tower refurbishment for a sum totalling £360m.

• Research by the National Child Mortality Database revealed that 13 children had died in the past six years due to falls from windows. It came as the Housing Ombudsman published a report revealing major issues with window maintenance across the sector. Inside Housing republished an article we ran last year on how social landlords are responding to this risk.

• Three buildings were reassessed as less safe than previously thought after a new assessment was carried out to replace one completed by firm Tri Fire. Serious concerns about Tri Fire’s work were raised after director Adam Kiziak was sanctioned last year, leading to sector-wide reassessment of thousands of blocks assessed by the firm.

• Sunderland-based housing association Gentoo has announced plans to demolish three large-panel system tower blocks, due to the cost of bringing them up to safety standards. Inside Housing visited the buildings in June. 

• Firefighters in London used smoke hoods to help residents evacuate a white goods fire in a flat in Crayford. The London Fire Brigade is among the first to have started using the hoods to help evacuate residents trapped by smoke. The fire was caused by an electrical fault in a tumble dryer. 

• TNT Sports is planning to broadcast a documentary about Grenfell Athletic, the community football club set up in the aftermath of the fire in June 2017.

Guidance 

• The British Standards Institute has published long-awaited and important guidance on the issue of fire risk assessor competency. The standard is designed to cut through a wide-range of industry qualifications and allow building managers – including housing providers – to meet their legal obligation to appoint a competent risk assessor. 

• The Building Safety Regulator has published new online guidance on getting building control applications right the first time. The regulator has also made webinars on the topic that are freely available on its website and is offering free training to resident-managed buildings.

• The government made some small amendments to its fire doors guidance, including a new forward. The amended guidance clarifies the scope of the necessary inspections and when remedial work is required. Expert commentators posting on LinkedIn predicted it would allow inspections to be done by in-house operatives rather than specialist consultancies.  

• A new guide to safely specifying construction products has been published by the Chartered Institute of Building, alongside other industry bodies. Titled the Guide to Products Critical to Safe Construction, the free guide provides designers, specifiers and installers with the information required to specify life-safety critical products safely.

Thinking

• As licensing and mandatory qualifications become an increasingly important part of the fire safety environment, former Grenfell Tower Inquiry expert witness Dr Barbara Lane of Arup set out her thoughts on how to make the new regimes work.