As reported in Construction Management (here), with the 1 October 2023 deadline for the registration of existing higher-risk buildings with the Building Safety Regulator rapidly approaching, as of 15 September 2023, only 48% of higher-risk buildings have been successfully registered with the Building Safety Regulator and approximately 25% of the estimated 12,500 higher-risk buildings in England have yet to start the registration process.

While the situation is rapidly evolving, it is worrying that the registration of such a large proportion of the existing higher-risk buildings in England is yet to commence as this suggests that the Building Safety Regulator's messaging regarding the need to register higher-risk buildings may not be getting through to the relevant Accountable Persons. 

This may also indicate that these Accountable Persons may not be aware of their wider duties and obligations regarding the management of building safety risks in their buildings under the new building safety regime introduced by the Building Safety Act 2022, meaning that the residents of such higher-risk buildings may be exposed to elevated levels of risk. 

Given that it is an offence not to register a higher-risk building with the Building Safety Regulator, and unregistered buildings cannot legally be occupied after 1 October 2023, all Accountable Persons should immediately take steps to ensure that their buildings are registered.