Factsheets for Letting Agents facing new safety rules

Propertymark has created a series of fact sheets to help letting agents understand the Building Safety Act 2022, which carries complex responsibilities for landlords and tenants as well as buyers and sellers.

The Building Safety Act 2022 aims to provide more rights, powers and protections for residents of high-risk buildings and reduce the chance of death in the event a fire breaks out. It establishes specific duties for individuals within high-risk buildings to manage building safety risks.

For example, from October 1 - that’s just five weeks away - the Act requires that some landlords, if deemed the responsible person for the type of property they let, must record their completed fire risk assessment in writing, record the identity of the individual or company that has performed the fire risk assessment, demonstrate how fire safety is managed in the premises, and share their contact information, including a UK based address with premises other responsible persons (if applicable) and the tenants.

Other tasks - again dependent on the status of the landlord and the building type - may involve identifying any other responsible persons in the same building, sharing relevant fire safety information with them and providing tenants with relevant fire safety information in a format that is easily understood.

The relevant fire safety information for tenants would be the risks identified by the risk assessment, preventive and protective measures in place, the name and contact details of the responsible person or their representative, the identity of any person appointed to assist with the risk assessment, and any risks informed to the responsible person.

It’s a complex Act and Propertymark members can access the factsheets here.