Mairead McErlean, Head of Legal, Compliance and Regulatory Affairs at FirstPort, explores how building safety reforms and leasehold changes are continuing to transform residential property management across England, Scotland and Wales.
Residential property management is at a significant junction in the UK. New regulatory reforms are changing how residential buildings are managed, as well as the expectations placed on those responsible for them.
For residents, these changes are about more than legislation. They influence how buildings are managed, how decisions are made and how costs are communicated.
At FirstPort, our focus is on ensuring these changes are implemented in a way that delivers meaningful benefits for residents while remaining practical and workable in the day-to-day management of buildings and estates.
One of the most significant developments for the sector continues to be the implementation of the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act. Designed to strengthen leaseholder rights and improve transparency, the Act marks another step in the evolution of residential property ownership and management. As its provisions are brought into force, managing agents, freeholders and residents alike will need to adapt to a changing operating environment.
To support implementation, we are already making positive changes, including undertaking extensive reviews of the data, systems, operational processes and customer communications needed to comply with the reforms.
At the same time, building safety remains a major area of focus across the UK. While governments share the common objective of improving safety and strengthening protections for residents, the regulatory frameworks emerging across England, Scotland and Wales are increasingly distinct.
In England, attention remains focused on embedding the Building Safety Act regime and accelerating the remediation of unsafe buildings. The forthcoming Remediation Bill is expected to build on these measures, while organisations with responsibilities under the Building Safety Act continue to adapt to a significantly more robust regulatory framework.
In Scotland, the focus has been on cladding remediation following the Housing (Cladding Remediation) (Scotland) Act 2024. This includes the Single Building Assessment, designed to provide a whole building assessment of risks associated with external wall systems, and the Cladding Assurance Register, which records buildings following assessment and, where necessary, remediation. The Scottish Building Safety Levy, due to come into effect in April 2028, will also require residential developers to contribute towards the cost of cladding remediation, with the levy expected to raise up to £450 million over 15 years.
Meanwhile, Wales is progressing its own building safety reforms through the Building Safety Act 2026, establishing a distinct framework for assessing and managing fire and structural safety risks within residential buildings. The Welsh Government is currently consulting on the occupation phase of these reforms, and as a regular contributor to policy and regulatory consultations across the UK, we have been reviewing the proposals and providing feedback based on our experience of managing residential communities nationwide. This engagement helps ensure that emerging regulation reflects both the needs of residents and the practical realities of implementation.
Another recent development has been the introduction of regulations enabling compliant plug-in solar devices to be connected to domestic electricity sockets. While these changes have the potential to broaden access to renewable energy, they also raise important considerations for residential developments, including health and safety requirements, insurance implications, and compliance with lease obligations and permissions.
At FirstPort, our focus will be on helping clients and leaseholders understand what these changes mean in practice. We will be providing guidance to leaseholders and clients and supporting customers through the approval process to help ensure installations are safe, appropriate for the building, and implemented in line with the relevant legal and leasehold requirements.
As the pace of change continues, the sector’s focus must remain on ensuring that new regulatory requirements are not only understood but also effectively implemented to support safer buildings, stronger communities and better outcomes for residents.
