NEWS

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UK building and land safety, audits and compliance — practical notes, product releases and our reading of the regulations. Opinion and general information, not legal advice.

SAMRISK opinion and general information — not legal or professional advice.

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Satellite view of Nine Elms in London, a dense cluster of new higher-risk residential towers

Latest · Regulation

14 July 2026 5 min read

Gateway 2, and the backlog that is finally clearing

Gateway 2 is the pre-construction hard stop for higher-risk buildings under the Building Safety Act 2022. Through 2025 its decisions ran to nearly a year in places. By spring 2026 the Building Safety Regulator has driven average times down to about 13 to 14 weeks and all but cleared the legacy backlog. Here is what changed, and what a good application still has to prove.

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Satellite view of Sheffield, a city with a large stock of social and residential housing

13 July 20265 min readRegulation

Awaab's Law Phase 2, and the hazards it adds from October

The first phase of Awaab's Law took effect for social landlords on 27 October 2025, putting statutory deadlines on damp, mould and emergency repairs. From October 2026 the duty widens to cold, heat, falls, fire, electrical and hygiene hazards. Here is what changes, and why the record matters more than ever.

Satellite view of Manchester city centre, a dense cluster of publicly accessible premises, venues, offices and retail

10 July 20265 min readRegulation

Martyn's Law, and what it asks of the premises you manage

The Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025 received Royal Assent on 3 April 2025 and comes into force after a two-year implementation period, so most qualifying premises have to comply from around April 2027 (Home Office, 2025). Here is what the two tiers actually require, and where the work meets a building manager.

Satellite view of the Nine Elms and Battersea regeneration in London, a cluster of major new residential developments beside the Thames

9 July 20265 min readRegulation

The Building Safety Levy, and what it changes from October

From 1 October 2026 the Building Safety Levy applies to major residential developments in England, and no completion certificate is issued until it is paid (Building Safety Levy guidance, GOV.UK, 2026). Here is what it means for the buildings you will go on to manage.

Satellite view of dense commercial rooftops in central Leeds, the flat roofs where torch-on roofing and other hot works are common

7 July 20265 min readFire safety

Hot works, and the permit that prevents a summer fire

There were 182 hot work fires in England in 2024/25, and 155 were started by welding or cutting (fire statistics for England, analysed by CE Safety, 2025). Summer is when torch-on roofing and site works pick up, and a permit is what keeps the risk, and the record, under control.

Satellite view of a riverside residential area in Greater Manchester, where knotweed follows the watercourse

6 July 20265 min readSite and land

Japanese knotweed, and the land you are responsible for

Japanese knotweed is wiping an estimated £21.4 billion off UK property values, with more than 1.5 million homes affected (Environet, 2026). For a manager the risk is rarely the plant itself. It is the boundary it crosses and the record you can show.

Satellite view of a leafy residential suburb in south London on London Clay

3 July 20265 min readSite and land

Subsidence season: clay soils, dry summers and the trees nearby

A hot, dry summer is when clay soils shrink and subsidence claims climb. UK domestic subsidence payouts hit a record £307 million in 2025. Much of what a building manager can do about it comes down to knowing the land, the trees on it, and keeping a dated record.

Satellite view of the Deansgate Square residential towers in Manchester

2 July 20265 min readBuilding safety

The second staircase rule, and what it means from September

From 30 September 2026, new residential buildings in England with a top storey at or above 18 metres must be designed with a second staircase. It changes what gets built, and it puts fresh weight on the evacuation strategy and the plans that record it.

Satellite view of high-rise residential towers in Croydon, south London

30 June 20265 min readFire safety

Residential PEEPs: the evacuation duty now in force

Since 6 April 2026 responsible persons for taller residential blocks have new duties around residents who cannot self-evacuate. Person-centred assessments, mitigating measures and an emergency evacuation statement for each one. It is a records duty as much as a fire one.

Satellite view of dense residential blocks in inner south London

29 June 20265 min readBuilding safety

Overheating in homes, and the duty arriving in October

Overheating has stopped being a comfort problem and become a safety one. Part O already governs new homes, and from October 2026 excess heat comes inside Awaab's Law timescales. Both are a records problem before they are a building one.

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