Leasehold high-rise flats: Who pays for fire safety work?
This paper considers who's responsible for paying for fire safety works on blocks of flats in the wake of the Grenfell Tower fire.

This briefing outlines the measures set out in the Government’s social housing white paper, stakeholder reaction and the next steps for social housing reform.
Social housing reform in England: What next? (1 MB , PDF)
Social housing is housing to rent at below the market rate or to buy through low-cost home ownership schemes such as shared ownership.
Four million households live in rented social housing in England, just under a fifth (17%) of all households. In 2021/22, 10% (2.5 million) of all households rented from housing associations, and 6% (1.6 million) from local authorities.
The Grenfell Tower fire in June 2017 exposed a range of issues with social housing and provided an impetus for change. In August 2018, following extensive engagement and consultation with social housing residents across the country, the Government published a social housing green paper – A new deal for social housing – which aimed to “rebalance the relationship between residents and landlords”.
After a gap of two years, on 17 November 2020 the Government published a social housing white paper –The Charter for Social Housing Residents.
The Charter set out measures designed to deliver on the Government’s commitment to the Grenfell community that “never again would the voices of residents go unheard” and on its 2019 manifesto pledge to empower residents, provide greater redress, better regulation and improve the quality of social housing.
The white paper was intended to deliver “transformational change” for social housing residents. It set out measures to:
The roles of the Regulator of Social Housing and the Housing Ombudsman are being strengthened to help deliver these measures.
The white paper reforms apply to social housing landlords and residents in England. Different policies apply in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Overall, the white paper was well received by tenants, social landlords and the housing sector. Measures intended to raise standards, increase transparency and accountability, improve the complaints and redress process, and engage and empower residents were widely welcomed.
Nevertheless, concerns were expressed about some elements, including:
The Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (LUHC) Committee’s report on The Regulation of Social Housing, published on 20 July 2022, called on the social housing sector to prioritise the quality of social housing and made 24 recommendations for change. The Committee awaits the Government’s response.
There is no timetable attached to delivering the measures set out in the social housing white paper.
The paper provides a framework for reform, but the detail of many of the proposals requires further development and engagement with the sector. The Government established an Expert Challenge Panel, involving experts from across the housing sector, to advise on how the white paper proposals can be delivered. It has also established a Social Housing Quality Resident Panel, to enable social housing residents to share their views on proposals to improve the quality of social housing.
The Social Housing Regulation Bill [HL] 2022-23, which is currently passing through Parliament, provides the legal basis for many of the white paper reforms.
The core objectives of the Bill are to:
The Bill also contains provisions to empower the Housing Ombudsman to issue a code of practice on complaint handling and monitor compliance with the code; and to formalise and strengthen the relationship between the Regulator and the Housing Ombudsman.
The Commons Library Bill Briefing provides an overview of the Bill’s provisions and its parliamentary stages.
Social housing reform in England: What next? (1 MB , PDF)
This paper considers who's responsible for paying for fire safety works on blocks of flats in the wake of the Grenfell Tower fire.
An overview of the options when a social housing tenant wants to remove a joint tenant from their tenancy.
This briefing explains how affordable housing is defined and looks at trends in housing affordability and the supply of affordable housing.