# Create a legal duty to fix unsafe cladding

> “The Bill brings forward a new legal duty on those responsible for the safety of their buildings, such as freeholders, to identify, assess, and fix issues without delay – anyone who obstructs this work could face criminal penalties.”
>
> — HM Government; Press release (Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government), 14 October 2026

- **Status:** Promised
- **Status ladder:** Promised → In plan → Legislated → Funded → Delivering → Delivered
- **Policy area:** [Housing & environment](https://ledgergov.uk/promises/area/housing-and-environment)
- **Speaker:** [HM Government](https://ledgergov.uk/actor/hm-government)
- **Made on:** 14 October 2026
- **Where:** Press release (Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government)
- **Cost a year:** No costing published
- **Who it affects:** Those responsible for the safety of their buildings, such as freeholders, and the residents of buildings with unsafe cladding
- **When:** Not stated
- **Paid for by:** Not stated when it was announced
- **Quote source:** https://www.gov.uk/government/news/major-milestone-reached-in-ending-building-safety-crisis (checked word for word on 16 October 2026; Open Government Licence v3.0)
- **Last updated:** 16 October 2026
- **Card:** https://ledgergov.uk/promise/uk-cladding-legal-duty-2026

## Where it stands

The Remediation of Unsafe Cladding Bill was introduced to Parliament on 14 October 2026, so the duty is not yet law. The same Bill would let the First-tier Tribunal fine a responsible entity up to £500,000 for not complying with a Remediation Order, let third parties such as Homes England or local authorities carry out remediation if those responsible continuously fail to act, create a register of all medium rise residential buildings in England, set a consistent approach for fire risk appraisals of external walls, and require responsible entities to share remediation plans with residents. The release does not say when the duty would start. The card moves to legislated when the Bill becomes law with it.

## Timeline

- 14 October 2026, Promised: The Remediation of Unsafe Cladding Bill, with a new legal duty to identify, assess and fix issues without delay, is introduced to Parliament

## About the cost

No cost has been published.

## Sources

- [Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government press release, 14 Oct 2026: Major milestone reached in ending building safety crisis](https://www.gov.uk/government/news/major-milestone-reached-in-ending-building-safety-crisis)

## Checks

- Checked automatically by AI Journalist, not yet verified by an editor.
- Checked by AI Journalist (automated) on 16 October 2026.

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