How to weave the ‘Golden Thread’ to satisfy the Building Safety Act
If you manage or own a high-risk residential building you need to know about the changes to the Building Safety Act. Failure to adhere to these new guidelines could mean that your tenants are evicted, the building closes and you face criminal charges!
To save your building and your reputation, Crysp have carefully researched the new guidance and put together a fact sheet along with the 6 key things you need to do.
What is the Act and why is it coming into place?
The Act aims to give residents and homeowners more rights, powers, and protections – to help improve the standard and safety of our homes.
It overhauls existing regulations and creates three new bodies to provide effective oversight: the Building Safety Regulator, the National Regulator of Construction Products and the New Homes Ombudsman.
Together these changes mean owners will manage their buildings better and places specific controls on high-risk residential buildings. High-risk residential buildings are buildings over 18m in height or have seven or more storeys and two or more residential units (typically high-rise apartment blocks, student accommodation, hospitals, and care homes).
A defining element of the Building Safety Act is the ‘Golden Thread’ of information.
What is the ‘Golden Thread’ of information?
It acts as a digital, always-accessible audit trail throughout the life cycle of the property and means your building’s information must be:
Retained digitally
Stored securely
The building’s single source of truth
Available to anyone who requires the information in order to do their job
Available immediately when required
Legible and ready to use
The ‘Golden Thread’
Retained digitally
Stored securely
The building’s single source of truth
Available to anyone who requires it
Available immediately when required
Legible and ready to use
How Crysp can help
Through our online platform
Backed up in the cloud
Everything in one place
Unlimited users (ideal for tenant access)
Login anytime anywhere
Industry standard forms
What do I need to do next?
There is a new legal requirement to prepare a Building Safety Case followed by a Building Safety Case Report which must be issued to the Building Safety Regulator (BSR). The safety case report is a critical element for demonstrating compliance under the Act. Prior to submitting your safety case report, you must register your building(s). All existing residential buildings within scope of the Building Safety Act will need to be registered with the BSR.
The timeframe for registration is April – October 2023.
Once registered, the Accountable Person or Landlord must apply for a Building Assessment Certificate when advised by the BSR. Once completely satisfied, the BSR shall issue a Building Assessment Certificate, confirming that the Accountable Person has taken all reasonable steps to prevent building safety risks.
For more information and next steps, please download our factsheet below.
The factsheet will be accessible via our online portal so please check your email for login details.