Guidance

Buildings under 11 metres: leaseholders' and residents' guide

Published 9 July 2026

Applies to England

The government is making funding available to support leaseholders in low-rise buildings with unsafe cladding who, in some cases, have so far had no option but to pay for necessary fire safety work themselves.

This guide is for leaseholders and residents living in multi‑occupied residential buildings under 11 metres in England that may be eligible for funding for cladding remediation. It explains:

• the purpose of the targeted funding
• how it operates
• what leaseholders and residents can expect
• where to seek support

If you think your building may need cladding remediation, you should first contact your responsible entity.

You can also contact Homes England via the Tell us Tool. They will work with the responsible person for your building to check if cladding remediation is needed and help ensure funding is directed to the buildings that need it the most.

Introduction

We are taking a risk-based approach across all building heights to cladding remediation and prioritising all applications to the Cladding Safety Scheme according to risk to life rather than building height alone. This includes funding for buildings under 11 metres.

In most cases, buildings under 11 metres are less likely to have widespread cladding fire safety risks. However, a small number of buildings may still require cladding remediation.

Funding is intended for buildings where a Fire Risk Appraisal of External Walls (FRAEW), usually arranged by the responsible entity, identifies a high or medium (action required) cladding fire safety outcome. In these circumstances, funding may be available to support cladding remediation or mitigation.

Applicants are invited to submit a FRAEW where unsafe cladding is suspected on the external walls. FRAEWs submitted as part of an application will be reviewed and will be audited to confirm the fire safety outcome and to assess potential eligibility for funding.

Applications will be considered in line with the level of fire safety risk identified in the FRAEW:

• buildings assessed as high risk following a FRAEW will be considered first
• buildings assessed as presenting a medium (action required) risk will be considered where funding remains after high risk buildings have been addressed

Leaseholders and residents cannot apply directly for funding. Applications must be made by the person or organisation with legal responsibility for fire safety at the building, known as the responsible entity.

Under the Code of Practice for the Remediation of Residential Buildings, the responsible entity is expected to keep leaseholders and residents informed, explain what action is being taken, and ensure meaningful engagement throughout the process.

Residents and leaseholders with concerns about cladding risks should contact their responsible entity first. They can also use the Tell Us Tool to share relevant information about their building with Homes England. This could include information about unsafe cladding on their buildings, known fire safety concerns or previous fire safety assessments.

For the purposes of this guide, references to ‘unsafe cladding’ should be understood as referring to an external wall system where a risk to life from fire spread has been identified through a PAS 9980-compliant assessment, and where that risk is assessed as not tolerable without mitigation or remediation.

Step-by-step guide

Stage 1: Identify the responsible entity

The responsible entity is the organisation or individual legally responsible for managing fire safety at the building and for making any application. This may include:

• the freeholder
• a head leaseholder
• a resident management company
• a right to manage company
• a registered provider of social housing

A responsible entity may choose to appoint a managing agent to make or lead the application. The agent can act legally on their behalf and manage the application until work is complete.

Leaseholders and residents should identify the responsible entity and request a named point of contact. The responsible entity should confirm:

• whether it intends to apply for funding
• who is leading the application
• how residents will be kept informed of progress

The Code of Practice for the Remediation of Residential Buildings sets out that responsible entities should keep leaseholders and residents informed and involved. This means providing clear and regular updates, explaining what assessments or works are being carried out, setting out what this means, and working constructively with residents and other parties to help resolve issues and avoid unnecessary delays.

Stage 2: Check if your building may be eligible

The responsible entity must confirm to leaseholders and residents if the building meets the eligibility criteria.

The building must be:

• in England (as building safety is a devolved matter)
• be an under 11 metre residential building with 2 or more dwellings
• be supported by a FRAEW in line with PAS9980:2022 methodology

Understand the limits of the funding

This funding is for cladding remediation where a FRAEW identifies a high or medium (action required) fire safety outcome and demonstrates that cladding remediation necessary and proportionate. Mitigation measures may be funded where these are recommended by the FRAEW as an appropriate alternative to cladding replacement.

The responsible entity should keep leaseholders and residents informed about whether a FRAEW has been completed, what risk outcome has been identified, and what this means for the building.

Check that work has not already started

Cladding remediation will not be funded retrospectively. If cladding remediation has already started, or a binding contract was signed before the date of the announcement on 9 July 2026, the building will not be eligible.

The responsible entity should keep you informed about its plans for your building. If you are not receiving regular updates or there is no meaningful engagement, you should ask the responsible entity to provide information in writing. You should be told what action is being taken and what this means for you as a leaseholder or resident.

Stage 3: Understand the fire safety assessments

The responsible entity is responsible for undertaking the appropriate technical assessments. These typically include a Fire Risk Assessment (FRA), and a FRAEW where external wall risks are identified. The responsible entity should explain in plain English:

• what assessments have been undertaken
• the key findings and risk outcome
• any recommended remedial or mitigating action
• if the actions have been completed, are in progress, or remain outstanding
• how identified risks are being managed at the building

When requested and where appropriate, the responsible entity should provide access to, or a summary of:

• relevant fire risk assessments and FRAEW outcomes
• information on any actions arising from those assessments

Ask the responsible entity for a short summary of what they have done

You can ask for a written summary that explains:

• who they contacted
• when they contacted them
• what they asked for
• what response they received

The responsible entity will be required to provide Homes England with a FRAEW, and FRA where available to apply for funding. The FRAEW must be undertaken by a suitably qualified competent professional in accordance with PAS 9980:2022 methodology. PAS 9980:2022 is a code of practice which sets out a method for competent professionals to conduct a FRAEW.

The outcome of these assessments must demonstrate and confirm the building contains life critical fire safety risks associated with the external wall system and or cladding.

Ask the responsible entity what other options have been explored

You can ask the responsible entity to provide a summary of other options they may have explored, such as:

• letters or emails to developers or freeholders asking for contributions
• insurance or warranty claims and the outcomes
• legal or contractual correspondence
• meeting notes showing what action was taken and what happened next

Stage 4: Application process

The funding process will include:

• a 6-week lead-in period to allow the responsible entity to prepare the required evidence, including a FRAEW and FRA. The evidence required is the same as for the Cladding Safety Scheme.
• an 8-week application window for applications to be submitted

Homes England will assess applications in the order they are submitted, once they have been checked and confirmed as valid and include the required evidence. The responsible entity should confirm to leaseholders and residents that all required documentation is ready before submission and that the application will be submitted promptly within the relevant window.

Stage 5:  Possible outcomes and next steps

The funding has a fixed budget, which may mean not all eligible applications should expect to receive funding. Some buildings may only receive partial funding if there is not enough funding remaining to cover all of the cladding remediation works.

Buildings assessed as high risk will be considered first. Buildings assessed as medium (action required) risk will only be considered where funding remains.

If funding is approved, the responsible entity should confirm to residents and leaseholders the scope of works, expected timeline, and how leaseholders and residents will be kept informed during delivery.

If funding is not approved, or only partial funding is available, the responsible entity should explain to leaseholders and residents the reasons and set out what other options have been considered. The responsible entity should also explore all other routes before passing costs on to leaseholders and residents.

Getting support

Leaseholders and residents who need independent advice can contact the Leasehold Advisory Service , which provides guidance on leaseholder and resident rights and responsibilities, including in relation to building safety and remediation.