Higher-risk building checker
Answer a few questions and this tool indicates whether a building is likely to be a higher-risk building in England, and which duties would follow. It handles the two separate legal definitions — occupation and design/construction — because they differ.
Indicative guide only, not a legal determination. Confirm with BSR guidance and a competent professional.
About the higher-risk building definitions
A higher-risk building has two different legal definitions in England. In occupation, a building is higher-risk if it is at least 18 metres tall or has at least 7 storeys and contains at least 2 residential units — hospitals and care homes are excluded from that regime. In design and construction, the same height or storey threshold applies but the building qualifies if it contains 2 or more residential units, or is a care home, or is a hospital.
This checker keeps those two cases apart. For the full detail, read what is a higher-risk building or the Building Safety Act compliance guide.
Higher-risk building checker — FAQs
Is this checker a legal determination?
No. It is an indicative guide only. It does not determine a building's legal status. Confirm with the Building Safety Regulator's guidance and a competent professional.
Why does it ask which phase first?
Because a higher-risk building has two different legal definitions — one for buildings in occupation and one for design and construction. Care homes and hospitals are in scope for design and construction but not for the occupation regime, so the checker must know the phase before it can apply the right test.
Does it handle work to an existing building?
Not in this version. Existing-building work has additional criteria under BSR guidance, so this checker does not determine that case and will refer you to the Building Safety Regulator's existing-building guidance instead of giving a potentially wrong answer.
Does it apply outside England?
No. This is the England regime. Wales has separate regulations, and Scotland and Northern Ireland have different building-safety law.