Despite a prolonged and often contentious gestation period, with numerous amendments being made to the draft document, the Building Safety Bill finally completed its passage through Parliament on 26 April 2022 and now awaits Royal Assent, which it is expected to receive shortly.

Given the size and complexity of the Bill, the provisions of the Bill will come into force in two distinct stages. While the precise timings remain to be seen, provisions such as the amendments to the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 and the retrospective extension of the limitation period for claims under the Defective Premises Act 1972 will come in to force within 12 months of the date of the Bill receiving Royal Assent.

The bulk of the provisions of the Bill, including stages two and three of the new gateway regime, the new duty holder regime, the registration of higher-risk buildings etc., will be brought into force in the 12 to 18 months following Royal Assent once the necessary supporting secondary legislation and regulations have been passed.

We will provide further updates on when the provisions of the Bill will come into force in due course.