Building safety fund opens 2020: a step by step guide for residents
A guide to the Building Safety Fund 2020 process for buildings over 17.7m with cladding systems that meet the 2020 criteria.
Applies to England
This guide is relevant to those living in buildings where a Building Safety Fund (BSF) application was made in 2020 and the application is at an advanced stage; or the applicant has been given a choice to follow the 2020 or 2022 Fund process and has opted to continue with the 2020 process.
Please see more information on the BSF 2022 process.
The Building Safety Fund (BSF) aims to protect leaseholders from the cost of addressing fire-safety risks, caused by unsafe non-ACM cladding systems on high-rise residential buildings.
The building’s ‘responsible entity’ makes an application to the BSF. They can be the building’s:
- freeholder
- head leaseholder
- right-to-manage company (RTM)
- resident management company (RMC) or
- registered provider of social housing such as a local authority or housing association
A responsible entity can authorise a managing agent to act on their behalf: apply to the BSF and manage the BSF application on a day-to-day basis. However, they only act on behalf of the responsible entity who retains the legal right to carry out works to address fire risks caused by unsafe cladding.
Below, we outline the steps in the BSF application process. Please also refer to our BSF Leaseholder & Resident Service glossary when going through these steps. The process is slightly different for social housing applications and DLUHC has a separate in-house team who deal with these. In all instances, if the responsible entity provides incomplete information, this may lead to information requests which delay the process
Registering your building
The applicant (responsible entity) registers for funding and sends the following information about the building to DLUHC for checking against eligibility criteria:
- the building height (the building must be at least 17.7 metres high)
- the wall type and the material
Deciding if your building is eligible for the fund
DLUHC decides if the building meets the fund’s criteria. If it does, the applicant (responsible entity) can move onto the next step and apply to the fund. If it doesn’t, they can appeal the decision.
Application part 1: making legal checks
The delivery partner (Homes England or The Greater London Authority) makes legal checks to ensure funding goes to the legitimate individual/organisation. They may request further information.
If a private sector applicant (responsible entity) needs help to hire a team and produce a tender, they can apply for pre-tender support at this stage. This is an advance payment based on a percentage of the total estimated costs of the works, available to those who do not have the financial resources to start the project.
Application part 2: assessing the costs
At this stage, the applicant (responsible entity) needs to:
- appoint a professional team of consultants
- complete a design for the works
- select a contractor to carry out the works
- send information about leaseholders who use their property principally for financial gain, including any relevant government funding these leaseholders have previously received, and
- create a project programme.
The applicant sends a detailed plan of works and costs to their delivery partner (Homes England or The Greater London Authority).
The delivery partner checks the plan to make sure costs are reasonable and meet BSF criteria.
If any remediation works were started before completion of the application stage, the BSF will only fund the works that are found eligible under the BSF eligibility criteria.
An application can be paused or delayed if the applicant makes changes to costs or appeals a decision.
Signing the funding agreement
If a funding application for a building is approved, the applicant (responsible entity) signs the legal funding agreement. This agreement covers the terms and conditions for funding.
Starting the building works
Building works can start at this stage. The applicant (responsible entity) needs to keep leaseholders and residents updated. They should:
- confirm a start date for the works, and
- give an estimated date for when the works will be finished
To make sure the project stays on track, they will also need to send monthly project updates to their delivery partner (Homes England or The Greater London Authority).
When the building works are finished
The applicant (responsible entity) needs to send their delivery partner (Homes England or The Greater London Authority) a certificate showing that the building complies with building regulations and project costs to their delivery partner. All terms and conditions need to be met before remaining payments are made.
Last updated 28 July 2022 + show all updates
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Updated to reflect the reopening of the Building Safety Fund on 28 July 2022.
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First published.