Unsafe cladding bill proposes £500,000 penalties and a remediation backstop

The government introduced the Remediation of Unsafe Cladding Bill to Parliament on 14 October 2026, proposing stronger enforcement and new routes to secure repairs for unsafe residential buildings in England. The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said the legislation would place new duties on those responsible for building safety and allow others to intervene when they repeatedly fail to act.

The department estimates that the bill would accelerate remediation for around 12,000 residents. That includes approximately 3,000 people in buildings expected to benefit from a proposed remediation backstop, which the government says might otherwise never be made safe.

What would the Remediation of Unsafe Cladding Bill change?

Under the government's proposals, those responsible for the safety of buildings, including freeholders, would have a legal duty to identify and assess problems and carry out necessary work without delay. People who obstruct that work could face criminal penalties, according to the department's announcement.

The bill would also strengthen enforcement where a responsible entity fails to comply with a Remediation Order. The government says the First-tier Tribunal would be able to impose financial penalties of up to £500,000, giving it a stronger means of sanctioning non-compliance.

A separate backstop would allow third parties, including Homes England or local authorities, to undertake remediation where those responsible persistently fail to do so. The department presents this as a safety net for residents whose buildings remain unsafe despite the responsibility for repairs resting elsewhere.

The proposals also address buildings left without an effective owner or responsible entity. In those circumstances, the government says leaseholders would have clearer legal routes to assume control of building management, allowing essential maintenance and safety work to continue.

Developers, contractors and other parties that have paid for remediation would gain a simpler route to seek recovery of those costs from cladding manufacturers where their products contributed to an unsafe building. The department says the measure would remove technical legal obstacles that have hindered such claims; it is a proposed route to cost recovery, rather than an announcement that particular manufacturers have been found liable.

How would residents get clearer information about repairs?

The bill proposes a register covering all medium-rise residential buildings in England. According to the government, failure to register could attract civil penalties of up to £7,000, with higher financial penalties of up to £40,000 or prosecution also available.

Fire risk appraisals of external walls, known as FRAEWs, would have to follow a consistent assessment approach. The department says buildings would be assessed on a common basis, with risks established through evidence-based assessments subject to independent audit.

Where an appraisal recommends remedial work, the responsible entity would have to share a plan with residents. The government says that plan would explain the proposed steps and timescales for each building, making the intended programme of repairs available to the people living there.

These are distinct elements of the department's proposed transparency framework: the register would help identify buildings, standardised appraisals would establish whether work is needed, and resident plans would set out how recommended work is intended to proceed. None of those measures was described in the announcement as already being in force under the new bill.

Why the government is adding to its remediation programme

The department introduced the legislation nine years after the Grenfell Tower tragedy. It said unsafe cladding remained on too many buildings and acknowledged that residents continued to feel trapped while waiting for those responsible to resolve the problems.

The bill follows the government's Remediation Acceleration Plan. Since that plan was published, more than 470 additional buildings have been reported as completing cladding remediation, according to the department. It said that progress had helped around 35,000 more residents feel safer in their homes.

The announcement also points to more than £5 billion committed by the government towards remediation. Alongside that commitment, the department cited an extra £1 billion to support remediation by social housing providers, bringing the issue beyond privately owned blocks and into the social rented sector.

Existing support includes funding for buildings below 11 metres in exceptional circumstances, according to the department. It also highlighted extended funding for fire alarms intended to replace expensive waking watches, addressing an interim safety measure while the wider remediation programme continues.

The government placed the bill alongside its work on recommendations from the Grenfell Tower Inquiry. It cited the recent appointment of an independent Chief Construction and Scientific Adviser, whose remit includes expert advice on building safety, quality and resilience.

Ministers and regulators set out their positions

Building Safety Minister Baroness Blake of Leeds said the continued wait for action on dangerous cladding was unacceptable. She presented the bill as a way to establish clearer responsibilities for work, give regulators stronger powers and provide residents with a route towards remediation.

Amy Rees, chief executive of Homes England, supported the measures as a means of strengthening accountability and residents' confidence that unsafe buildings would be repaired. She said the agency would continue working with the government, regulators and industry partners to help buildings progress through remediation.

Charlie Pugsley, acting chief executive of the Building Safety Regulator, said the regulator was working with stakeholders to support owners in addressing buildings already known to need repairs. He described its approach to remediation on higher-risk buildings in England as collaborative and proportionate.

What happens next, and what does the 2029 target mean?

The government's stated expectation remains that, by the end of 2029, every building over 11 metres with unsafe cladding should either have completed remediation or have a clear completion date. That is not a commitment that all such buildings will have finished repairs by then: the target expressly allows for buildings with a defined date for outstanding work.

The department says the proposed stronger enforcement powers are intended to become available before that deadline. However, the 14 October announcement did not provide a commencement date for the new duties, penalties, register or backstop, so their introduction to Parliament should not be confused with those measures taking effect.

Homes England's stated next step is continued joint working with government, regulators and industry, while the Building Safety Regulator says it will maintain support for owners fixing known higher-risk buildings. The government's estimate of faster remediation for residents remains an expected outcome of the bill, not a count of completed repairs.