Tracked. Documented. Managed before it becomes a problem. Every block we manage has a compliance calendar — fire risk assessments, insurance conditions, certificates, renewals. Nothing falls through the gaps.
Building safety compliance is not a checklist you complete once. It is a continuous obligation — fire risk assessments that must be reviewed, actions from those assessments that must be completed, insurance conditions that must be monitored, certificates that expire and must be renewed, and a legislative landscape that has shifted significantly since the Building Safety Act 2022 came into force.
Directors of residential blocks are responsible for ensuring the building is safe and that all statutory obligations are met. Most directors are not compliance specialists. Many are leaseholders who took on a directorship because they cared about their building — not because they had expertise in fire safety legislation or insurance contract conditions.
Our job is to carry the compliance management so that directors can govern their building with confidence. Every block we manage has a compliance calendar. Every obligation is tracked. Every renewal is managed in advance. And when we take over a block, the first thing we do is establish exactly what is in place and what is not.
The Building Safety Act 2022 was the most significant piece of building safety legislation in a generation. A direct response to the Grenfell Tower fire, it introduced new duties for those responsible for residential buildings, a new regulatory framework for higher-risk buildings, and a shift towards treating building safety as an ongoing obligation rather than a compliance exercise.
The most stringent requirements — the higher-risk building regime, the Principal Accountable Person structure, and the mandatory Building Safety Manager role — apply to buildings that are at least 18 metres in height or at least 7 storeys, and contain at least two residential units. For residential blocks below that threshold, the Act still matters: it strengthened enforcement and sits alongside the Fire Safety Act 2021 and the existing fire safety regulatory framework.
Do you manage higher-risk buildings?
Neon currently manages residential blocks below the higher-risk building threshold (18 metres / 7 storeys). The BSA's Principal Accountable Person and Building Safety Manager requirements do not apply to our current portfolio.
If you are a director of a building that meets the higher-risk definition and are looking for a managing agent, contact us. We will advise honestly on whether your building's requirements are within our scope or whether you need a specialist.
One of the most difficult situations in block management is taking over a building where major works have been started but not completed by the previous agent. The scaffolding is up. Money has been spent. Leaseholders are waiting.
We are currently managing exactly this situation. External repair works were started under a previous agent. The Section 20 consultation was completed validly — leaseholders know what they agreed to contribute and the statutory recovery position is intact. But the works were not finished when we took over. Our role is to establish the scope of what remains, assess whether the reserve fund covers the outstanding costs, and manage the completion properly, with full transparency to leaseholders throughout.
When we inherit incomplete works we conduct a full assessment of what was done and what remains. We review the Section 20 record to confirm whether the statutory process was correctly completed — because if it was not, the recovery position for outstanding costs may be compromised. We establish the financial position: what has been charged to leaseholders, what the reserve fund holds, and whether additional contributions will be needed.
Transparency throughout is not optional — it is what leaseholders are entitled to. Leaseholders who have been waiting years for works to complete, without clear communication about why or when, are already frustrated. They are entitled to know the financial position, the revised programme, and what the cost to them is likely to be. We provide that information clearly and do not wait to be asked for it.
| Failure | Consequence |
|---|---|
| Works begun before Section 20 consultation completed | Recovery capped at £250 per leaseholder regardless of actual cost. |
| Stage 1 notice not served on all qualifying leaseholders | Consultation invalid. Process must restart. Works costs at risk. |
| Fewer than two estimates obtained | Consultation flawed. Tribunal may disallow recovery above the cap. |
| Leaseholder's nominated contractor excluded without reason | Leaseholder can apply to Tribunal to have the recovery capped. |
| Works scope not clearly defined before tendering | Variations and cost overruns. Leaseholders charged for work not in the original scope without further consultation. |
| Works started without director approval of contractor appointment | Directors potentially liable for unauthorised expenditure. No valid contract. |
| Works not completed and new scope not re-consulted | Outstanding works costs may not be recoverable if the original Section 20 did not cover the new or remaining scope. |
| Supervision absent during works. Variations approved without director sign-off | Poor quality. Cost overruns. No recourse against contractor. Director liability for unauthorised expenditure. |
The fire risk assessment is the cornerstone of fire safety management in any residential block. It identifies fire hazards, evaluates the risk to people, and sets out the measures needed to reduce that risk to an acceptable level. It must be carried out by a competent person, reviewed regularly, and reviewed whenever there is a significant change in the building.
It is not a one-time exercise. It is a living document that must be kept current and whose recommended actions must be completed. An FRA whose actions have not been addressed is not evidence of compliance — it is a documented record of known risks that have not been resolved.
When we take over a block where no fire risk assessment exists, we commission one immediately. Fire safety is not a background item on a compliance list. Where an FRA exists but is out of date, or where actions have not been completed, we establish what remains outstanding and address it in priority order.
Actions rated as high priority — immediate danger present — are treated as urgent from day one. We do not inherit a building's fire safety failures and leave them unaddressed while we settle in.
The fire risk assessment review cycle and any outstanding actions are tracked in our compliance calendar on BlocksOnline. When a review is due, we commission it. When actions are identified, we programme them. When actions are completed, we record the completion with evidence.
Directors have access to the current FRA and the action log through the portal at all times.
The fire risk assessment is the cornerstone of fire safety management in any residential block. It identifies fire hazards, evaluates the risk to people, and sets out the measures needed to reduce that risk to an acceptable level. It must be carried out by a competent person, reviewed regularly, and reviewed whenever there is a significant change in the building.
It is not a one-time exercise. It is a living document that must be kept current and whose recommended actions must be completed. An FRA whose actions have not been addressed is not evidence of compliance — it is a documented record of known risks that have not been resolved.
When we take over a block where no fire risk assessment exists, we commission one immediately. Fire safety is not a background item on a compliance list. Where an FRA exists but is out of date, or where actions have not been completed, we establish what remains outstanding and address it in priority order.
Actions rated as high priority — immediate danger present — are treated as urgent from day one. We do not inherit a building's fire safety failures and leave them unaddressed while we settle in.
The fire risk assessment review cycle and any outstanding actions are tracked in our compliance calendar on BlocksOnline. When a review is due, we commission it. When actions are identified, we programme them. When actions are completed, we record the completion with evidence.
Directors have access to the current FRA and the action log through the portal at all times.
The Building Safety Act introduced the concept of the 'golden thread' of building information for higher-risk buildings — a structured, maintained, accessible record of everything relevant to the safety of the building. For all residential blocks, the principle is sound regardless of whether it is legally mandated.
A building whose documentation is complete, current, and accessible can demonstrate its compliance position at any point. A building whose documentation exists in fragments across multiple email accounts and departed agents' archives cannot.
We use BlocksOnline as our building management platform. Every block we manage has a dedicated record containing:
Directors have access to this system at all times. When we take over a block with incomplete documentation, we rebuild what can be obtained and flag what cannot.
Building safety compliance does not stop at certificates and risk assessments. The behaviour of leaseholders and occupants affects the safety of the building. Communal areas obstructed by stored items are a fire safety risk. Unauthorised structures in communal spaces can affect evacuation routes and insurance conditions. Alterations to individual flats without consent can affect the structural integrity or fire compartmentation of the building.
We manage lease enforcement on behalf of the RTM company or RMC. Where a leaseholder is doing something that breaches the lease — storing items in communal areas, installing structures without consent, subletting a garage for commercial use, making alterations without approval — we issue the appropriate notice and manage the breach process through to resolution.
We are currently managing a number of active lease enforcement matters across our portfolio, including unauthorised structures in communal areas and commercial use of garages. These are dealt with through the correct legal process — formal notice of breach, reasonable period to remedy, further action where the breach is not remedied. We do not let lease violations sit unaddressed because unaddressed violations become precedent.
We manage building safety and compliance for residential blocks across North, East London and Essex. If you are unsure what obligations apply to your block, or concerned about the current compliance position, start with a conversation.
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