A New Government Bill on Cladding Remediation: What Accountable Persons Need to Know

The Building Safety (Remediation of Unsafe Cladding etc) Bill

Introduced to the Commons on 14 October 2026 as Bill 155 (2026–27), this is a Government Bill — meaning it carries guaranteed parliamentary time, unlike a backbench private member's bill. GOV.UK describes it as creating a new legal duty on those responsible for a building's safety, such as freeholders, to identify, assess, and fix cladding issues without delay.

The Bill proposes a stronger enforcement framework: the First-tier Tribunal would gain powers to hand down financial penalties of up to £500,000 against responsible entities that fail to comply with a Remediation Order. Where a building has no effective owner or responsible entity, or those responsible continuously fail to act, third parties — such as Homes England or local authorities — would be able to step in and carry out remediation as a safety net.

The Bill also aims to give leaseholders clearer legal routes to take control of a building's management where it has no effective owner, so that essential maintenance and safety works can continue.

The Leaseholder Remediation (Building Safety) Bill [HL]

This is a different, earlier measure: a House of Lords private member's bill, first read on 9 June 2026 and now at Committee stage after passing second reading on 11 September 2026. It focuses on extending cost and protection arrangements for qualifying leaseholders affected by historical building safety failures, and on placing enforceable duties on freeholders and building owners to complete remediation within prescribed timeframes.

As a private member's bill it has no guaranteed further parliamentary time and may not progress to Royal Assent — a materially different position from the Government Bill introduced in October.

Why there are two bills, not one

The two measures overlap in subject matter but differ in origin, House, and likely trajectory. The Lords PMB reflects longstanding leaseholder-campaign pressure; the Commons Government Bill reflects the Department's own enforcement push, introduced alongside a BSR statement from its Acting CEO describing BSR as "fully engaged with stakeholders to support building owners in fixing known buildings faster."

Duty-holders should track both, but weight them differently: a Government Bill with guaranteed time is far more likely to reach Royal Assent in a recognisable form than a backbench Lords bill.

What changes for duty-holders today

Nothing, yet. Both measures are in early parliamentary stages — Committee stage in the Lords, first reading in the Commons — and neither has received Royal Assent. Existing Part 5 leaseholder-protection duties (Schedule 8 contribution caps, qualifying-lease rules, remediation orders) continue to apply unchanged in the meantime.

The practical action for Accountable Persons and portfolio landlords is to keep remediation programmes, qualifying-lease registers, and remediation-order records in good order now, so that whichever Bill (or combination) eventually passes, the evidence base is already there.

Conclusion

Treat both bills as monitor-only for now. We'll update this guide and the Part 5 remediation guide as either Bill progresses through Report stage, Third Reading, or Royal Assent. This is a legislative-tracking summary, not legal advice — if a specific building or portfolio needs a remediation strategy today, speak to a solicitor who can advise on the law as it currently stands.