Buying a high-rise flat in London:
which safety documents should I request?

BSR registration: match the correct building

In England, the main threshold for a higher-risk residential building under the Building Safety Act 2022 is at least 18 metres in height or at least 7 storeys, with at least 2 residential units. It concerns the building, rather than the floor your flat is on. A building within scope must be registered with the Building Safety Regulator (BSR) before people live there. (B1)

Search the public register by postcode. Match the block name, address, height and storeys to the sales documents, and check the principal accountable person. Registration information does not replace the technical documents. (B1)

For a building still under construction, ask when registration and completion documents will be available. Do not draw a conclusion about the building solely from a search returning no result.

When is an EWS1 needed?

EWS1 is an external wall system assessment form used in mortgage valuation. It is not a fire safety certificate. Not needing a form does not rule out future remedial work. (B3)

RICS says not every building needs EWS1. For existing buildings, height, cladding type and sometimes its extent, balconies and combustible materials matter; lender instructions also apply. For new blocks, RICS says EWS1 is not required: building regulations compliance documents should be supplied. Ask your lender to confirm which documents it accepts. (B2)

Date distinction: RICS published its second edition on 12 May 2026, effective from 1 November 2026. It is not yet in force on this guide’s check date, 16 October 2026. Have the criteria checked again if your transaction runs into November. (B3)

Gateways and the completion certificate for a new building

Under BSR’s new building control route, Gateway 2 is approval before construction starts; Gateway 3 is the completion stage and completion certificate. A new building under this route needs its completion certificate before occupation. Planning permission is a separate document. (B11, B4)

Ask the developer for building control approval, its conditions and the completion certificate to be issued when the work is finished. Where completion is partial, have your solicitor check that the certificate covers your block and the parts to be occupied. BSR registration is also required. (B4)

Some projects can continue under the earlier building control route through transitional arrangements. Establish in writing which route applies and which final certificate it requires, rather than looking for an identically named BSR document on every new building. (B5)

See our off-plan buying guide for delivery dates and contract conditions, and our new-home handover guide for recording defects inside the flat.

Historical defects and a qualifying lease

Leaseholder protections concern the costs of fixing historical building safety defects. Qualifying leaseholders are protected from cladding system remediation costs; other historical safety defects have different exemptions and caps. These protections do not cover every future maintenance bill. (B8)

The “relevant building” threshold for these cost rules differs from BSR registration: at least 11 metres or 5 storeys, at least two dwellings and further ownership conditions. Leaseholder-owned buildings are excluded. (B7)

A qualifying lease meets the protection conditions. The main checks are a term exceeding 21 years, a service charge obligation, grant before 14 February 2022, and whether on that date the dwelling was its owner’s only/main home or that owner held no more than three dwellings in the United Kingdom. Protection status passes with a subsequent sale; continuity rules also apply to extensions or variations of protected leases. (B6)

Do not treat a newly granted lease on a new home as equivalent to an existing qualifying lease. Ask your solicitor to examine eligibility and any leaseholder deed of certificate and landlord certificate. These differ from EWS1 and BSR registration. Our leasehold and service charge guide covers general running costs. (B6, B9)

What does the Responsible Actors Scheme cover?

The Responsible Actors Scheme (RAS) concerns eligible developers fixing or funding remediation of life-critical fire safety defects in specified buildings they developed or refurbished in England. Its guidance addresses residential buildings over 11 metres and the 30 years ending on 4 April 2022. Membership is not a new project’s quality or safety certificate. (B10)

Have your solicitor match the company name and the obligation to the relevant building. Our developer checks guide covers company records and the seller’s identity.