News — October 2026
Shared Ownership Fire Safety 2026
Shared ownership leaseholders continue to navigate the aftermath of the Grenfell inquiry and the Building Safety Act 2022. Fire door replacement costs, cladding remediation disputes, and waking watch charges are affecting many shared owners in 2026. This article explains the current legal position and what shared owners can do.
Key point for 2026
The Building Safety Act 2022 protections for qualifying leaseholders cover certain fire safety remediation costs — but the protection is not automatic and depends on the specific building, the nature of the defect, and the leaseholder's circumstances. Shared owners should not simply pay service charge demands for fire safety works without first checking whether they qualify for protection. Free advice is available from LEASE (the Leasehold Advisory Service).
What the Building Safety Act 2022 changed
The Building Safety Act 2022 introduced a framework for addressing historical building safety defects — including fire safety defects — without placing the cost on leaseholders where another party (developer, freeholder, or associated companies) is responsible. For buildings over 11 metres, qualifying leaseholders are protected from cladding remediation costs. For other fire safety defects, the position is more nuanced and depends on building height and the specific defect.
Fire door replacement: who pays?
Fire door replacement is a significant cost in many blocks built in the 2000s and 2010s where doors were found not to meet required standards. The cost attribution depends on: whether the door is a communal door (housing association responsibility) or a flat entrance door (leaseholder responsibility under the Fire Safety Act 2022); the Building Safety Act 2022 protections; and whether the defect was a developer failure. In most cases, flat entrance door replacement costs — where required due to a construction defect — should be met by the developer or freeholder under the BSA 2022 protections. See our fire safety in shared ownership guide and our fire door safety guide for the practical and legal context.
The fire risk assessment: your right to a copy
Every shared owner has the right to request and receive a copy of the building fire risk assessment from their housing association. The RRO 2005 requires the responsible person to make the fire risk assessment available to any person with a legitimate interest. If the housing association refuses to provide it, this can be reported to the Fire and Rescue Service.
Interim fire safety measures during remediation
While fire safety remediation works are underway, the building must have interim fire safety measures in place. These typically include enhanced fire detection, interim compartmentation measures, and possibly a waking watch — though alarm upgrades are strongly preferred over waking watches on cost grounds. If you believe interim measures are inadequate in your building, raise this with the housing association in writing. See our fire safety for flats guide for what should be in place in any multi-occupied residential building.
Frequently asked questions
FAQ