Building Safety Cases Explained: A Guide for Developers and Building Owners

What Is a Building Safety Case?

A building safety case is the totality of evidence that the principal accountable person of a higher-risk building relies upon to demonstrate that the building is safe to occupy and that the risks to residents are being adequately managed. It is a requirement of the Building Safety Act 2022 and applies to all occupied higher-risk buildings — those over 18 metres or seven storeys with at least two residential units.

The building safety case is not a single document but a collection of evidence and analysis. It is sometimes described as a structured argument — a demonstration, supported by evidence, that the building is safe. At its core, it contains the fire strategy, structural safety information, external wall assessment, and evidence of ongoing management and maintenance. Around these core elements, it builds a risk assessment and a record of the measures in place to manage identified risks.

What Does a Building Safety Case Contain?

The content of a building safety case will vary depending on the building's age, size, construction type, and history, but a comprehensive building safety case typically contains:

• Building description — height, number of storeys and units, construction method, date of construction, and any significant alterations
• Fire safety documentation — the fire strategy (or retrospective fire strategy where no original document exists), fire risk assessment, evacuation strategy, details of fire detection and suppression systems, compartmentation information, and fire door schedules
• Structural safety information — structural system description, structural fire protection specification, and any structural survey reports
• External wall information — details of external wall materials and construction, including any PAS 9980 FRAEW and EWS1 form where applicable
• Maintenance and inspection records — records of fire alarm testing, emergency lighting testing, fire door inspections, dry riser testing, and other statutory maintenance activities
• Risk assessment — identification and assessment of the key safety risks, and the controls in place to manage them
• Residents' engagement — details of the residents' engagement strategy and any safety concerns raised by residents and the responses to them

Building Safety Case Report vs Building Safety Case

The Building Safety Act distinguishes between the building safety case (the totality of evidence) and the building safety case report (a summary document that draws on the building safety case and is submitted to the BSR). The building safety case report is what the BSR assesses when determining whether to issue a building assessment certificate — it must accurately summarise the evidence in the building safety case and demonstrate that risks are being adequately managed.

Who Prepares a Building Safety Case?

The principal accountable person is legally responsible for preparing and maintaining the building safety case, but in practice this work requires specialist input from chartered fire engineers, structural engineers, and building safety consultants. The fire strategy elements — which are central to the building safety case — must be produced by a competent fire engineer, and for most buildings this means a chartered fire engineer with relevant experience of the building type.

Fire Safety Services provides comprehensive building safety case support including retrospective fire strategies, PAS 9980 FRAEWs, fire risk assessments, and building safety case documentation for higher-risk residential buildings across London and the UK.

Key Deadlines and Timelines

The key Building Safety Act deadlines for higher-risk buildings are: registration with the BSR (deadline 1 April 2024 for existing buildings); submission of the building safety case when required by the BSR; and ongoing maintenance of the building safety case throughout the building's occupation. The BSR can require submission of the building safety case for assessment at any time, and accountable persons who fail to comply with BSR directions face criminal prosecution.