Building safety: what the new cladding Bill means for leaseholders

The government introduced the Remediation of Unsafe Cladding Bill to Parliament on 14 October 2026, calling it a major milestone in ending the building safety crisis. For leaseholders in blocks with unsafe cladding, what it means in practice is tougher legal duties on those who own and manage buildings, and penalties if they do not act.

The government said that nine years on from the Grenfell Tower tragedy, “there are still too many buildings with unsafe cladding and too many people feeling trapped”. It said over 470 more buildings are reported to have completed cladding remediation since the Remediation Acceleration Plan was published, helping around 35,000 more residents. On our calculation, that is roughly 75 residents per building.

Building Safety Minister Baroness Blake said it was “unacceptable that so many people have been left living in homes with dangerous cladding, anxiously waiting for those responsible to take action”.

Building safety milestone progress 2026: what the Bill would do

The Bill creates a legal duty on those responsible for a building’s safety, such as freeholders, to identify, assess and fix problems without delay. Anyone who obstructs the work could face criminal penalties. The First-tier Tribunal would be able to impose financial penalties on responsible entities that ignore a Remediation Order.

If owners continuously fail to act, third parties such as Homes England or local authorities will be able to step in and carry out the work. Where a building has no effective owner or responsible entity, leaseholders will have clearer legal routes to take control of its management. Developers and contractors who have paid for repairs will also get a simpler route to recover costs from cladding manufacturers whose products contributed to a building being unsafe.

A new register of all medium rise residential buildings in England is meant to ensure no building falls through the net. The government also said fire risk appraisals of external walls must follow a consistent approach, with independently audited, evidence-based assessments. The penalties it set out are below.

What it means for your home and what happens next

The Bill has only been introduced, so none of these powers are law yet, and the government’s announcement gives no timetable for its passage through Parliament. The expectation that every building over 11 metres with unsafe cladding is remediated or has a clear completion date by the end of 2029 remains. The government said the key change is that tougher powers will become available before then.

The government expects the Bill to accelerate remediation for around 12,000 residents. About 3,000 of them live in buildings that benefit from the backstop and, it said, may never have been remediated otherwise. That is a quarter of the total, which suggests the backstop is the measure with the most direct effect on stuck buildings.

It comes alongside more than £5 billion already committed by the government, an extra £1bn for social housing providers, and extended funding for fire alarms to replace expensive waking watches. Where an assessment recommends remedial work, responsible entities will have to share a plan with residents setting out steps and timescales. Leaseholders can ask their managing agent now whether an external wall appraisal has been done and when a plan will be shared.

Your questions answered

How many buildings in the UK have unsafe cladding?

The government’s announcement does not give a total. It says only that over 470 more buildings have completed cladding remediation since the Remediation Acceleration Plan was published, and that there are still too many buildings with unsafe cladding.

What is the building safety levy 2026?

The levy is not mentioned in the government’s announcement, so we cannot explain how it works here. The new Bill’s stated measures concern enforcement, a backstop, cost recovery from manufacturers, a register and consistent assessments.

Does the Building Safety Act apply to my building?

The announcement does not refer to the Act. It says the expectation for 2029 covers buildings over 11 metres with unsafe cladding, and that the new register will cover medium rise residential buildings in England. Funding for buildings under 11 metres is available only in exceptional circumstances, so ask your managing agent or freeholder where your block stands.