Tower Block Cladding: 2025 rules, deadlines and what’s next

2025 brought three practical shifts: a levy to fund fixes, stricter enforcement with real penalties and a single front door for funding new cases. If you own or manage a building over 11 metres, the timeline is no longer optional as funding and enforcement are now marching on.

What changed in 2025

1) Harder deadlines and penalties
The government’s July 2025 RAP update sets out a Legal Duty to Remediate. Miss the timescales without a reasonable excuse and you face unlimited fines or imprisonment. For 18 m+ buildings in government schemes, remediation must be complete by end-2029; for 11–18 m, projects must be completed or scheduled by end-2029, with 2031 as the natural end date before penalties bite. Homes England and local authorities will get “backstop” powers to step in and recover costs if landlords fail to act.

2) Building Safety Levy: who pays and when
Draft regulations published in July introduce a levy on most developments with 10+ dwellings or 30+ PBSA bedspaces. Social housing providers are exempt, some uses are out of scope and brownfield gets 50% off. Government set local-authority rates and implementation is Autumn 2026.

3) Funding routes consolidated
From September 2025, all new cladding remediation applications go through the Cladding Safety Scheme (CSS). The older Building Safety Fund no longer takes new applications. Fire Risk Appraisal of External Walls (FRAEW) remains central to scoping and funding decisions.

Progress and the numbers that matter

As of July 2025: 5,214 residential buildings over 11 m with unsafe cladding are being monitored by government programmes. That is estimated to cover 61–91% of the total stock requiring works.

By end July 2025: 50% of those buildings had started or completed remediation with only 1,780 completed. Enforcement notices and inspections are up triple digits since RAP began funding to councils.

What this means for owners and project teams

Timelines are real. If you’re over 18 m, the expectation is completion by end-2029. For 11–18 m, you need works completed or scheduled by end-2029 with 2031 as the backstop. Regulators now have the teeth to prosecute obstruction and recover costs.

Funding is simpler but stricter. New claims go through the CSS. Expect tighter fire assessment standards and more scrutiny on scope before work starts. Social landlords are being put on equal footing for funding access via a joint plan with government and regulators.

New costs in the pipeline for developers. The levy lands in Autumn 2026. Factor it into feasibility for 10+ dwelling schemes. Brownfield and certain categories get relief, but lenders will still price the risk.

Compliance checklist for the next 90 days

Confirm status: Do you have a current FRAEW to PAS 9980 methodology and a clear remediation scope? If not, commission one. It drives both the technical plan and eligibility.

Pick your route: If you’re new to the system, prepare a CSS application via the Building Remediation Hub with all evidential drawings, surveys and FRAEW outputs.

Show evidence: Capture elevations, façades, fixings, cavity barriers and details properly before strip-out. Point clouds and photogrammetry protect you when scopes evolve.

Programme with the deadlines in mind: Tie design, procurement and access to RAP milestones. Log decisions and expect enforcement attention if progress stalls.

Residents first: Plan decant scenarios, communication and a Waking Watch Replacement approach if needed. The code of practice expects it.

Where Survey Solutions adds value

• Measured façade and elevation surveys to de-risk design, quantify materials, and support FRAEW with accurate as-is geometry.
• Laser scanning and high-resolution drone capture to model façades, penetrations and interfaces. Ideal for 3D coordination and tender packs.
• Topographic and utilities mapping to plan safe access, scaffold bases, cranage and temporary works without striking buried services.
• Structural and environmental monitoring during remediation to track movement, vibration and noise with thresholds and alerts.
• BIM-ready deliverables that plug straight into consultant workflows for faster approvals and fewer RFIs.

These works could cut weeks lost to guesswork, as well as provide a single coordinated model that everyone trusts, minimising disputes about what was there as you have a digital record you can stand up in front of a regulator.