Guidance on high rise buildings
Definition of a High Risk Building
A high-rise residential structure has:
- at least 7 floors or is at least 18 metres in height
- at least 2 residential units
A high-rise residential building can contain one or more high-rise residential structures.
Apply to register 2 or more structures as a single building when they’re connected by either:
- a walkway, lobby or basement, that contains a residential unit
- an internal wall containing normal-use doors
You must give us the following information about the building:
- the number of floors at or above ground level
- its height in metres
- the number of residential units
- its completion date
- its address or addresses
If your building is made up of more than one high-rise residential structure, you must give information for each structure.
Additional information can be found on the gov.uk 'Guidance on Criteria for higher risk buildings' web page.
Building control process for higher-risk buildings
Oversight of higher-risk buildings The new building control process for higher-risk buildings in England came into force on 1 October 2023. From this date the building control authority for higher-risk buildings is the Building Safety Regulator. Any new building work in-scope of the higher-risk regime can no longer be overseen by local authority or private sector building control. The Regulator will be the building control authority for higher-risk buildings, in particular: • the construction of a new higher-risk building; • building work to an existing higher-risk building; • any work that causes a non-higher-risk building to become a higher-risk building, including material change of use; and • any work relating to a higher-risk building that causes it to cease to be such a building.
To register a High Risk Building please visit the gov.uk 'Register a high-rise residential building' webpage.