When the Building Safety Act 2022 received Royal Assent on 28th April 2022, it saw the introduction of a new dutyholder role for occupied buildings, known as the Principal Accountable Person [PAP].
Under the Act, the PAP is responsible for registering a higher risk building [HRB] and, when directed to do so by the Regulator, applying for and displaying a Building Assessment Certificate.
The Act also included a duty to provide prescribed information about the building to the Building Safety Regulator.
The Higher-Risk Buildings (Key Building Information etc.) Regulations 2023, which were laid before Parliament on 24th January 2023, set out what that prescribed information, known as key building information, is (3-18).
This includes information about:
- the principal use of the building and any subsidiary uses
- the number of staircases and storeys in the building
- a description of the materials used in the external walls and roof
- any fixtures attached to the walls
- details of the structure
- the type of energy supply to the building and energy-storage system
- the type of evacuation strategy
- a list of fire and smoke control equipment
The regulations also specify that the key building information for a HRB must be submitted within 28 days of the PAP applying for registration of a higher-risk building (20) and that the key building information must be in electronic form (24).
Why is this important? Well, the key building information is now linked to registration of a HRB which means that the PAP now has 6 months from April 2023, which is when the register for occupied buildings opens, to collate and submit the key building information in electronic form.
The clock is ticking.
