A redefined compliance landscape
The UK property compliance landscape has been transformed by the Building Safety Act 2022 (BSA 2022), the Social Housing (Regulation) Act 2023, the Fire Safety Act 2021 and the continued maturing of the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS). For managing agents, freeholders, resident management companies and institutional landlords, the expectation is now unambiguous: compliance must be actively managed and evidenced, not merely recorded.
The foundational legislation — HSWA 1974
All UK health, safety and building compliance ultimately derives from the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 (HSWA 1974). Sections 2 and 3 impose general duties on employers to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare of employees and of persons not in their employment who may be affected by the undertaking. Section 4 imposes duties on persons concerned with premises, and Section 7 imposes duties on employees. Crucially, Section 37 permits prosecution of directors, managers, secretaries and other similar officers personally where an offence is committed with their consent, connivance or through their neglect.
Beneath HSWA 1974 sit the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, which require every employer to undertake a suitable and sufficient risk assessment and to appoint competent persons to assist in discharging the statutory duties.
The Building Safety Act 2022
The Building Safety Act 2022 introduced the most significant reform to UK building regulation since the 1984 Act. For Higher-Risk Buildings (HRBs) — broadly, occupied residential buildings of at least 18 metres in height or 7 storeys with at least two dwellings — a new regime of accountability has been imposed: the Accountable Person (and where there is more than one, the Principal Accountable Person, PAP) is identified; a Building Safety Case is prepared and periodically reviewed; the building is registered with the Building Safety Regulator (a division of the HSE); and the Golden Thread of building safety information — a live, digital, accessible record of all design, construction, management and maintenance information — is created and maintained.
The Act also introduced the Residents' Engagement Strategy, requiring the Principal Accountable Person to prepare, publish and implement a strategy for engaging with residents on building-safety matters, including resident complaints and the mandatory occurrence reporting regime.
Block and estate compliance
For block-managed and resident-managed residential estates below the HRB threshold, the compliance burden is no less real. OEC supports managing agents and freeholders in discharging a comprehensive programme of common-parts inspections, typically delivered quarterly, bi-annually or annually depending on occupancy, risk and Section 20 budget cycles.
Common-parts inspections cover: fire safety measures (doorsets, signage, log books, lighting), electrical safety, gas safety where relevant, water hygiene assets, asbestos register condition, slip / trip / fall hazards, play area safety (where present), external lighting, drainage, structural defects, and access and egress. Findings are risk-scored and prioritised to enable the managing agent to issue works instructions and respond to leaseholder queries with documented evidence.
External risk assessments
The external envelope and grounds of a property present their own distinct set of risks, often overlooked in traditional fire-and-asbestos-centric compliance regimes. OEC delivers external risk assessments covering: car parks and vehicular movement; pedestrian routes; external lighting and CCTV; boundary walls, gates and fencing; signage; landscaping and tree safety (under the Occupiers' Liability Acts 1957 and 1984); play equipment (to BS EN 1176 where relevant); drainage and flood risk; and refuse and recycling storage.
HHSRS and Awaab's Law
For residential landlords — both social and private — the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS), established under the Housing Act 2004, remains the primary framework for assessing hazards in dwellings. HHSRS identifies 29 potential hazards, including Damp and Mould Growth, Excess Cold, Falls on Stairs, Fire, Electrical Hazards and Entry by Intruders. Each hazard is scored and classified as Category 1 (serious, mandatory action) or Category 2.
In direct response to the death of Awaab Ishak in 2020, the Social Housing (Regulation) Act 2023 introduced what has become known as Awaab's Law. Regulations made under this Act will impose strict statutory timescales within which social landlords must investigate reported hazards (particularly damp and mould), issue written summaries of findings to tenants, and complete necessary repairs. OEC delivers HHSRS-aligned stock condition surveys and damp-and-mould investigations built specifically for landlords operating under Awaab's Law.
CDM 2015 and construction projects
Where compliance works translate into construction projects, the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 (CDM 2015) allocate legal duties to the Client, Principal Designer, Principal Contractor, Designers and Contractors. OEC acts as Principal Designer on refurbishment and minor works projects — preparing the pre-construction information pack, coordinating design risk management, overseeing health and safety during design, and preparing the Health and Safety File at project completion.
ISO 45001 compliance audits
For clients with their own occupational health and safety management systems, OEC delivers ISO 45001-aligned portfolio audits — assessing policy, leadership, planning, support, operation, performance evaluation and improvement against the standard. Audit outputs include a gap analysis, a prioritised improvement plan and evidence-based recommendations.
Why managed compliance matters
Enforcement in this space has sharpened materially. The HSE and Fire and Rescue Services now pursue prosecutions under both HSWA 1974 and the RRO 2005; the Regulator of Social Housing now has additional enforcement powers under the 2023 Act; and civil claims from tenants, leaseholders and employees continue to rise. A documented, evidenced, actively-managed compliance regime protects the duty holder, the occupants and the long-term capital value of the asset.