The golden thread of building information, explained

The golden thread is the digital record of the information needed to keep a higher-risk building safe — and to prove it. It is a legal expectation under the Building Safety Act regime in England, supported by dedicated regulations. This page explains what it is, what it must contain and who holds it.

What the golden thread is

The golden thread is a digital record — the building's single source of truth — that must be:

stored digitally and kept secure from unauthorised access,
kept up to date,
available when needed and in a usable format,
written in plain English, and
managed in a way that complies with data-protection requirements.

Legal duty — Higher-Risk Buildings (Keeping and Provision of Information etc.) (England) Regulations 2024 · BSR guidance, "Keeping information about a higher-risk building: the golden thread"

What it contains

During occupation the record typically holds the health and safety file, the safety case report, the resident engagement strategy, the mandatory occurrence reporting records, refurbishment records, and historical building documentation.

Who is responsible

During construction: the client, principal designer and principal contractor create, maintain and hand over the information.
During occupation: the accountable person and principal accountable person keep the information and manage the record-keeping system.

Legal duty — Building Safety Act 2022, Part 4 + Higher-Risk Buildings (Keeping and Provision of Information etc.) (England) Regulations 2024

How Complys relates to the golden thread

Complys already supports structured documents, records and evidence management — versioned documents with owners and review dates, certificate and inspection expiry tracking, and an audit trail — which is a sensible place to keep much of this information in order today. A dedicated golden-thread workspace — modelled on the full information requirements above — is a potential future Complys product, not something Complys provides today. We won't claim otherwise.

Current functionality: document & evidence management within property compliance · certificate expiry tracking · fire and construction compliance.

The golden thread — FAQs

Does the golden thread have to be digital?

Yes. The golden thread is a digital record of the information needed to keep a higher-risk building safe, kept secure, up to date, available and usable, in plain English and in a way that complies with data-protection requirements.

Who owns the golden thread during occupation?

During occupation the accountable person and principal accountable person keep the information and manage the record-keeping system. During construction it is the client, principal designer and principal contractor who create, maintain and hand over the information.

Does Complys provide a golden thread?

Not as a dedicated module today. Complys already supports structured documents, records and evidence management — versioned documents with owners and review dates, certificate and inspection expiry tracking, and an audit trail. A dedicated golden-thread workspace is a potential future Complys product, not something we provide now.