The Welsh Government has confirmed that the Building Safety (Wales) Bill is on track for introduction in Summer 2025. This will establish a new building safety regime in Wales covering the occupation and ongoing management of multi-occupied residential buildings.

In an important distinction from the English position, the Welsh Government has indicated that the Bill will capture all multi-occupied residential buildings in Wales which contain two or more residential units and not just buildings of 18 metres and above. Certain buildings will be exempt from the new regime, and these will be set out in the legislation.

An earlier statement from the Welsh Government indicated that its intention is to "go significantly further than the building safety regime introduced in England via the Building Safety Act 2022".

We will monitor developments and provide a further update once the draft Bill is available, however the key points set out in statements issued by the Welsh Government to date include:

  • Responsibilities will differ depending on building height – but across all in-scope buildings, "accountable persons" and "principal accountable persons" will have new statutory duties;
  • Certain houses in multiple occupation will be subject to the fire safety provisions of the Bill, although they will not be subject to the wider duties such as registration;
  • Local authorities (LAs) will regulate the new occupation phase regime, including holding the register of in-scope buildings. As noted in our update on the building control regime for higher-risk buildings in Wales, LAs are also set to act as the building control authority for the design and construction of higher risk buildings (HRBs) in Wales (in England, it is the Building Safety Regulator which performs both functions).

Please get in touch if you would like further advice on building safety issues during the occupation and management phase in Wales.

For further advice on building safety issues during occupation and management phases in Wales, please contact our building safety team.

If you have any queries on this article, please get in touch with Natalie Barton-Howes or Danielle Klepping.