Video transcript: What is an accountable person?

In 2023, new rules and regulations will come into force to make buildings safer. These include registering high-rise residential buildings with the Building Safety Regulator.

Two new roles will be introduced as part of the new building safety regime – ‘Accountable Persons’ and the ‘Principal Accountable Person’. If you own or manage tall buildings 18 metres or over in height or which have 7 or more storeys, and contain at least 2 residential units, this might be you.

Accountable persons are those persons that own or are legally responsible for repairing common parts of a building, for example the exterior and structure of the building, corridors, lobbies and staircases. They may be an individual, partnership or corporate body and there may be more than one Accountable Person for your building.

Accountable persons must also assess the building safety risks for the part of the building they are responsible for, be it structural or fire safety. They must take all reasonable steps to prevent incidents, or reduce their severity based on the risks identified in the assessments.

Where there is more than one Accountable Person for a building, the one that owns or is legally responsible for the repair of the exterior and structure of the building will be recognised as the Principal Accountable Person.

If you are the Principal Accountable Person for your building, the first thing you will need to do is to register your building.

We’re committed to making buildings and residents safer and we will help you be ready.