This year-end review explores the state of building safety in 2025, drawing on insights from data, regulation, resident experience and digital transformation. Returning contributors share what changed, what hasn’t, and what 2026 may demand from industry and regulators.
The latest Lunch & Learn session, hosted by Matt Hodges-Long, examined the data now available through the Building Safety Regulator’s (BSR) Public Register of Higher-Risk Buildings (HRBs). While our expert contributor, Simon Lay, was unable to join at the last minute, Matt led an in-depth exploration of the data, the Register’s limitations, and what it reveals about the current state of building safety.
Matt Hodges-Long and Melisa White discuss decants and evacuations due to fire safety and structural issues. They highlighted the emotional and practical impact on residents, the lack of support, challenges in providing “like-for-like” accommodation, financial burdens, and leaseholder rights regarding developer obligations and increased insurance premiums.
James Capper and Matt Hodges-Long detailed significant challenges with the Building Safety Act’s implementation, including Gateway 2 delays, issues with Building Assessment Certificates, and BSR’s incompatible charging regime and invoicing problems, which are exacerbated by inconsistent data and a lack of clear guidance.
This month’s Lunch & Learn took a different shape. Instead of a guest speaker, we invited you – the building safety community – to lead the conversation in response to the recent Grenfell Netflix documentary – Grenfell Uncovered.
Together, we unpacked the human impact, systemic failures, and urgent questions the documentary raised about building safety.
Over 14,000 residents have been forced from their homes due to fire and structural safety concerns in the 8 years since the Grenfell Tower tragedy!
This month’s Lunch & Learn with Su Butcher – industry veteran, communicator, and all-around straight-talker – dug deep into a topic gaining increasing urgency across the built environment: the Golden Thread of building information.
Matt Hodges-Long, Founder of TrackMyRisks / Building Safety Register and Steve Bunce Building Safety Case Manager, Lewisham Council discussed challenges in ‘managing building safety information at scale’
Our CEO Matt Hodges-Long was asked by LBC to write a short opinion piece tracking the 7 years from Grenfell Tower to the Spectrum Building and to give some thoughts on the role of Government in the Building Safety Crisis.
Our CEO Matt Hodges-Long explains that fire safety issues in mid-rise blocks were overlooked due to the post-Grenfell focus on cladding problems inhigh-rise buildings.