Fire safety remediation report reveals 1,926 buildings still unsafe

Fire safety remediation report highlights data from Q1 2025/2026 survey

The Regulator of Social Housing (RSH) has published its latest fire safety remediation report, covering data up to Monday 30 June 2025.

The report is based on the Fire Safety Remediation Survey, which collects information from social landlords about buildings measuring more than 11 metres or five storeys.

A total of 17,146 relevant buildings were reported, of which 1,926 were found to have a life-critical fire safety (LCFS) defect linked to external wall systems (EWS).

The regulator confirmed that 99.9% of buildings in scope have now had a fire risk assessment completed.

Since June 2017, 2,672 buildings have been identified with LCFS defects, of which 906 have been remediated or are complete pending new building works assessments.

Defect identification and building types

Of the buildings reported, 12,051 measure between 11 and 18 metres, while 5,095 are above 18 metres.

Private Registered Providers (PRPs) are responsible for 54.6% of the relevant buildings, while Local Authority Registered Providers (LARPs) account for 45.4%.

Large landlords, who together own 97% of all social housing units, are responsible for most of the relevant buildings.

The survey showed that 11.3% of assessed buildings have an EWS-related LCFS defect.

For buildings between 11 and 18 metres, 8.8% were identified as defective, compared with 17.5% of those over 18 metres.

Current remediation status

As of the end of Quarter 1, remediation work was complete on 160 buildings, with a further 268 undergoing remediation.

Plans are in place for 978 buildings, while 514 buildings have incomplete or unclear remediation strategies.

Six buildings were confirmed as not requiring remediation work.

The regulator noted that supply chain delays, legal complexities and contractor availability continue to affect remediation timelines.

Remediation timelines

The report shows that remediation has already started or been completed on 22.2% of affected buildings.

Works are scheduled to begin within six months on a further 331 buildings and within five years on 869 buildings.

A small number, 23 buildings, are not expected to commence remediation until between 2030 and 2035.

For 275 buildings, remediation commencement dates are beyond 2035 or remain unclear.

Landlords reported that 1,365 affected buildings, equal to 70.9% of the total, are due for completion within five years.

A further 119 are expected to complete within ten years, while 326 buildings remain on completion timelines beyond ten years or without clear dates.

Historic remediation

Since June 2017, 2,672 buildings have been recorded as having LCFS defects.

Of these, 746 were reported as historically remediated in earlier assessments, while 160 are complete but awaiting building control confirmation.

This leaves a total of 906 buildings recorded as complete, representing just over one-third of all affected buildings.

Commentary from RSH

Will Perry, Director of Strategy at RSH, said: “All social landlords must ensure that tenants are safe in their homes.

“They need to identify risks, remediate relevant buildings at pace, and protect tenants while the work is carried out.

“To do this, landlords need to have robust, up-to-date information about fire safety.”

He added: “We continue to use a range of regulatory tools to drive landlords to address fire safety issues and protect tenants.”

Continued monitoring and follow-up

The regulator confirmed that it will maintain quarterly surveys to assess progress and will continue to engage with landlords through inspections.

Landlords with unclear remediation plans will be subject to follow-up discussions to clarify their strategies and interim safety measures.

The report notes that all outstanding fire risk assessments are expected to be completed before the end of the current quarter.

The regulator also reminded landlords of the government’s Remediation Acceleration Plan, published in December 2024, which sets out expectations on remediation timelines based on building height.

Relevance for fire and safety professionals

The findings have practical relevance for fire engineers, building services engineers and fire safety officers working within the housing sector.

The report highlights that more than 1,900 buildings still require remediation for life-critical external wall system defects, underlining the ongoing demand for inspection, project management and safety assurance expertise.

Facility managers and contractors will also be impacted, as the regulator’s data shows many remediation projects remain delayed by supply chain and legal challenges, requiring contingency planning and resource adjustments.

For risk assessors and consultants, the near-universal completion of fire risk assessments provides an evidence base for identifying priority buildings, but also raises ongoing requirements for verification and reassessment once remediation works are complete.

Architects and engineers engaged in remediation design will note that the majority of affected buildings are scheduled for completion within five years, but hundreds remain on unclear or long-term timelines, creating a continued market for remediation and compliance services.

Fire safety remediation report published for Q1 2025/2026: Summary

The Regulator of Social Housing published its fire safety remediation report for Quarter 1 of 2025/2026 on Thursday 25 September 2025.

The report covers 17,146 relevant social housing buildings over 11 metres in height across England.

Of these, 1,926 buildings were identified as having a life-critical fire safety defect associated with the external wall system.

Since June 2017, 2,672 buildings have been identified with defects, and 906 have been remediated or are awaiting confirmation.

Remediation work is complete on 160 buildings, in progress on 268, planned for 978 and unclear for 514.

The regulator stated that 70.9% of affected buildings are due for completion within five years and 6.2% within ten years.

A further 16.9% of buildings remain on unclear or extended timelines, including some beyond 2035.

Will Perry, Director of Strategy at RSH, said landlords must remediate at pace and ensure tenant safety during ongoing works.

The regulator confirmed that quarterly monitoring will continue and landlords with unclear remediation plans will be subject to follow-up engagement.

This article contains information from the following source: Regulator of Social Housing