Health Safety Executive
Check if you need to register a building
Only apply to register high-rise residential buildings in England.
A high-rise residential structure has:
- at least 7 floors or is at least 18 metres in height
- at least 2 residential units
A high-rise residential building can contain one or more high-rise residential structures. You may need to apply to register 2 or more structures as one building if theyre connected in certain ways.
Use the independent section criteria on each structure to help you decide if the structures are connected in one of those ways.
Tyoes of buildings you do not need to register
Do not register buildings that are entirely used as a:
- hospital
- care home
- secure residential institution
- hotel
- military premises
- prison
Read the full guidance on buildings that need to be registered.
Check who can register the building
The principal accountable person must make sure the building is registered.
A principal accountable person is usually an organisation like a:
- housing association
- local authority
- company
Someone from the organisation must be the single point of contact for the Building Safety Regulator. But this does not make them the principal accountable person. The individual will:
- discuss building safety issues with the regulator
- have authority relating to the safety of the building
Individuals from these organisations cannot be the principal accountable person or an accountable person. The organisation is the principal accountable person.
In limited circumstances, an individual can be the principal accountable person. For example, if the individual is:
- the owner of the building
- named on the leasehold as responsible for maintenance of common parts
Read the guidance on accountable persons and the principal accountable person to understand their roles and legal duties.
Authorising someone else to register
The principal accountable person can authorise someone else to register the building for them. For example, they can authorise a managing agent or legal representative.
The authorisation must be in writing like an email, letter or written contract. Authorising someone to act for you does not make them the principal accountable person.
A principal accountable person is usually an organisation. You do not have to authorise individual employees of that organisation.
Register the building
It is an offence to allow residents to occupy an unregistered high-rise residential building.
New buildings must have a relevant completion certificate or final certificate. They must be registered before residents can occupy them.
You can apply to register a high-rise residential building online.
You will need:
- the buildings name, address and postcode
- a building summary, including height in metres, number of floors and residential units, and date of completion
- the names and contact details of the principal accountable person and accountable persons
Youll also need a credit or debit card to pay the 251 application fee for each building.
If you cannot pay by card, you may be able to pay by invoice. You must pay the invoice before we can assess your application. If you take too long to pay, we may reject your application.
Building summary
As part of the application to register a high-rise residential building you need to give us a summary of the building.
Number of floors at or above ground level
Count all floors from ground level to the top floor, whether they have residential units or not.
If all of a ceiling is at or above ground level, count the floor as above ground level.
Count mezzanine floors that are 50% or more of the area of other floors. If a mezzanine floor is less than 50% of the area of any of the other floors, do not count it as a floor.
Do not count:
- floors below ground level (unless all the ceiling is above ground level)
- the roof
Ground level
Ground level is the level of the land immediately next to the building. If that land is uneven, it is the lowest part of the land immediately next to the building. All or part of a ceiling below that level is below ground level.
Top floor
The top floor is the top of the floor surface of the top storey of the building. Ignore the roof.
Height of the building
Measure the height in metres (up to 2 decimal places) from ground level to the top floor. Do not measure the roof.
You can estimate the height if the building:
- has at least 7 floors
- is clearly over 18 metres
Keep a record of how you estimated the height.
Number of residential units
Count all residential units, whether someone is living in them or not. A residential unit is a place where someone can live, like a flat, apartment, maisonette or a room in student accommodation.
When the building was completed
Tell us the year the building was originally built. If you do not know the exact year, you can select from a range.
For buildings completed in 2023 or later, you must tell us the:
- name of the building control body that issued the completion certificate or final certificate
- certificate number
- certificate date
For buildings completed between 1985 and 30 September 2023, you should take reasonable steps to find this information.
For buildings completed before 1985, you do not need to give this information.
For buildings completed on or after 1 October 2023, you must also upload a copy of the relevant completion or final certificate. You will not need to upload a copy of the certificate if it was issued by the Building Safety Regulator.
Structure and fire safety information
You need to give us information about the buildings structure and fire safety, this is also known as key building information. Well ask you about:
- fire and smoke controls
- energy supplies, storage and generation
- type of structure, roof, staircases and external walls
- the buildings use
- building work since original build
- connections between structures or to other buildings
You should be able to get the information we need from the most recent fire risk assessment. If theres an external wall system (EWS) appraisal, the information might also be there. So you should not need to do a full separate survey.
Read the Building Safety Regulator: giving us information about structure and safety (key building information) guide to help you understand what structure and safety information well ask for, and how you might find it.
Making changes to your application
You can make a change in your application at any stage before submitting it.
You can make these changes using the register a high-rise residential building service. To return to a saved application you will need your email used to start the application, and the application reference number.
Withdraw an application
Contact the Building Safety Regulator to withdraw an application. You cannot withdraw an application after we have made a decision about it.
Decisions
Well assess your application and make a decision:
- to register the high-rise residential building
- reject your application well set out the reasons why
The reasons we might reject your application include:
- you have not paid the fee
- the building youre applying to register is not a high-rise residential building
- you h