Correspondence

Letter to registered providers: Fire Safety Remediation Survey (accessible version)

Published 8 August 2023

Applies to England

Dear Chief Executive

Fire Safety Remediation Survey for 11 metre plus buildings

I am writing to let you know about a new data request we will be asking all registered providers to complete from week commencing 21 August 2023.

Working with the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities we are seeking assurance from all registered providers that for all buildings 11 metres plus (including those over 18 metres) for which you are responsible, you have:

• Met your obligations under the Fire Safety (Regulatory) Order 2005 for assessing fire safety risks associated with the relevant parts of those buildings;
• That where there are risks, you understand what they are and how they should be addressed, particularly in relation to cladding and;
• Where you have identified life safety fire risks, you have a plan in place to remediate those buildings in a timely manner.

We understand through our ongoing engagement with registered providers the seriousness with which you take these responsibilities, and that progress is being made in remediating ACM cladding on 18 metre-plus buildings. It is important that this work continues at pace to ensure that providers have remediation plans in place to address life safety fire risks on all buildings that are 11 metres or taller, for which you are responsible.

I am sharing a draft of the survey guidance, which shows the questions and the indicative layout of the survey with you now, in order for you to start to prepare your data systems to be able to provide the information we are asking for in the correct format, using the NROSH+ system, when requested.

We will use this information in the course of our regulation. We will review all the information provided and may request further information if necessary. Should you identify that your homes do not meet relevant standards, you should self-refer immediately.

Where necessary and in accordance with our powers under section 109 of the Housing and Regeneration Act 2008, we may disclose the survey data to other public authorities (for example, the Building Safety Regulator and Fire and Rescue authorities).

In recognising the importance of this data in providing assurance on the progress being made to address life safety fire risks, we are asking that all registered providers submit this data as at 31 August 2023 by 15th September 2023. This includes all registered providers completing this initial return to state whether or not you are responsible for any 11 metre plus buildings. As this data return is not currently on the Single Data List, this will initially be on a voluntary basis for local authorities, ahead of discussions with DLUHC and CLIP-H for it to be added. An assessment of this initial data collection will inform our ongoing discussions with DLUHC about subsequent data collection on this matter.

As part of this data collection exercise, we will also ask on behalf of DLUHC that you complete and submit a spreadsheet template requiring building level information, identifying all the 11 metre plus buildings you are responsible for at an address level with information relating to their remediation where relevant. This information will be passed on to DLUHC and will complement data they are already collecting for 11 metre plus buildings that are the responsibility of private landlords. This data will be used to monitor that all organisations responsible for remediating fire safety risks are doing so, so that affected residents are safe and feel safe in their homes. To do this DLUHC may also need to share their assessment of this data with other relevant regulators.

I would like to remind you of your responsibility to ensure contact information held on the NROSH+ website is up to date. This is important because we use this information to contact your organisation on regulatory matters. Contact details can be updated at https://nroshplus.regulatorofsocialhousing.org.uk/.

I will write to you again ahead of the first Fire Safety Remediation survey opening in week commencing 21 August 2023, formally inviting you to submit your data with further guidance and details on how to do so through our NROSH+ system.

In the meantime, if you would like to share any feedback that will aid in providing clarity when it is time to complete the survey please:

• Send comments/queries on the provider level survey guidance (Word document) via email to enquiries@rsh.gov.uk with ‘Fire Safety Remediation Survey’ as the subject.
• Send comments/queries on the building level survey (excel document) via email to Building.Safety@levellingup.gov.uk with ‘Fire Safety Remediation Survey’ as the subject.

I look forward to receiving your data in due course and would like to thank you in anticipation of your timely cooperation.

Yours faithfully

Fiona MacGregor
Chief Executive