Facade Fire Remediation: What Freeholders and Managing Agents Need to Know

Facade fire remediation is the process of replacing the unsafe external wall of an existing UK residential building with a safe one — typically stripping back combustible cladding and insulation, installing continuous cavity barriers, and installing A1 or A2-s1,d0 rated replacement rainscreen. It's now one of the biggest programmes of building work in the country.

This guide is written for freeholders, resident management companies and managing agents who find themselves responsible for delivering remediation. It covers the assessment, the funding, the approvals, the procurement and — critically — what installation on an occupied building actually looks like.

The End-to-End Process

1. Fire Risk Appraisal of External Walls (FRAEW)

A competent fire engineer carries out a PAS 9980 FRAEW on the building, ratings the external wall as Low, Medium or High risk, and where remediation is required issues a specification for what must be done.

2. Funding route

The Building Safety Act 2022 makes freeholders and developers primarily responsible for the cost of fixing unsafe cladding on qualifying leaseholders' homes. Funding routes include the Building Safety Fund (buildings over 18m with unsafe cladding), the Cladding Safety Scheme (11–18m), developer-remediation contracts, and direct freeholder funding. The funding route determines timescale and reporting obligations.

3. Design and Gateway 2

The fire engineer's specification is developed into a full remediation design by the principal designer, then submitted to the Building Safety Regulator under Gateway 2. No work on the HRB starts without Gateway 2 approval.

4. Procurement

A principal contractor is appointed; a specialist facade remediation installer is procured either directly by the freeholder or as a subcontractor to the principal contractor. Competence evidence, insurance and prior remediation experience are essential — not optional.

5. Installation

Works are usually phased elevation-by-elevation, with residents remaining in occupation. Scaffold and hoardings go up, existing cladding and insulation are stripped, cavity barriers and new rainscreen are installed, and elevations are handed back one at a time.

6. Gateway 3 and handover

Once complete, the BSR issues a completion certificate under Gateway 3. The golden-thread record — including installation photographs, batch numbers, classification certificates — is handed to the client and forms part of the building's ongoing safety case.

What Installation Looks Like on an Occupied Building

• —Scaffold or mast-climbers with full sheeting and debris netting
• —Elevation-by-elevation phasing to minimise the number of flats affected at once
• —Protection screens over resident balconies and terraces
• —Resident liaison officer as single point of contact for occupants
• —Notice given for any works requiring access into individual flats (usually balcony interfaces)
• —Waking watch or interim fire measures maintained until remediation is complete

Choosing a Competent Facade Remediation Contractor

The Building Safety Act makes competence a legal requirement. When procuring an installer, look for:

• —Prior delivery of PAS 9980-driven remediation on comparable buildings
• —Directly-employed CSCS-carded facade installers (not labour-only agency)
• —SMSTS-certified site managers with facade remediation experience
• —Written cavity-barrier install and photograph regime
• —Golden-thread documentation as standard, not an extra
• —Fire-engineer references and prior Gateway 3 completions

Frequently Asked Questions