Building defects at national scale and government interventions

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[edit] ACM

ACM Cladding Remediation FundUK (England)Fire safety / ACM cladding Covers removal and replacement of unsafe aluminium composite material (ACM) cladding on high-rise residential buildings. see

[edit] Asbestos

Control of Asbestos Regulations2006 (and earlier partial controls)Bans or limits use/import of asbestos, mandates safety procedures, and requires licenced removal / management of asbestos in buildings. see

[edit] Blockwork

Defective Concrete Blocks Grant Scheme Ireland Concrete block defects Provides grants for homeowners in affected counties to repair homes built with defective concrete blocks (mica, pyrrhotite). see

[edit] Cladding

Cladding Safety Scheme (CSS)UK (England, with NI links)Fire safety / cladding Expands support to include buildings 11–18m (and some over 18m) to fix dangerous cladding and external wall systems.

Welsh Building Safety ProgrammeUK (Wales)Fire safety / cladding Provides grants and oversight to remediate fire safety risks (including cladding) in high-rise residential and social housing.

Scottish Cladding Remediation Programme UK (Scotland)Fire safety / cladding National fund and programme to investigate and remediate unsafe cladding on residential buildings.

Northern Ireland Remediation Funding (CSS-linked)UK (NI)Fire safety / cladding Allocates funding, linked to the Cladding Safety Scheme, to remediate unsafe external wall systems in NI.

[edit] Fire Doors

Dame Judith Hackitt's review identified cases where fire doors failed retesting and did not meet their advertised fire resistance ratings, posing a severe safety risk in buildings.

[edit] Insulation

Urea-Formaldehyde Foam Insulation (UFFI) – 1970s: Issue: During the energy crisis, this foam was used to insulate homes, but it released formaldehyde vapors, causing illness. Impact: The CPSC banned its use in 1982 for chemical sensitivity issues, though the ban was later lifted.

Defective insulation, particularly poorly installed cavity wall and solid wall insulation under government schemes like ECO4 and the Great British Insulation Scheme. Government, through TrustMark and Ofgem, initiated actions in early 2025 to identify and mandate the repair of faulty installations at the installer's expense, with households receiving a Unique Measure Reference to track the process. see

[edit] Precast concrete

Houses built between 1945 and 1970, and later, sometimes contained defective blocks, such as those with high alkali content or insufficient strength. These led to issues with cracking, deterioration, and structural weakness.

Pyrite Remediation Scheme Ireland Ground heave / defective infill Funds remediation of homes damaged by pyrite-contaminated backfill materials.

RAAC Remediation Programme UK-wide Structural concrete defects Provides guidance, monitoring, and funding to identify and remediate Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete in schools, hospitals, and other public buildings.

RAAC (Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete) Remediation Programmes Since ~2021-2023 in current form; defects originate from use between the 1950s-’90sNational programmes for identifying, managing, and remediating RAAC material in public buildings (schools, hospitals etc.) because it is now considered structurally life-expired.

[edit] Safety

Building Safety FundUK (England) Fire safety / cladding Provides funding to remediate non-ACM cladding and other critical fire-safety issues in tall buildings.

Interim Fire Safety Defects Scheme Ireland Fire safety in apartments/duplexes Offers interim funding for urgent fire-safety works in apartments and duplexes built 1991-2013.

Developer Remediation Contract & Responsible Actors Scheme UK (England) Developer accountability Legally binds major developers to remediate or fund repairs for unsafe residential buildings they built/refurbished.

Remediation Enforcement Support Fund UK (England) Legal enforcement Funds local authorities and fire services to take action against landlords or owners failing to fix unsafe buildings.

Defective Premises Act 1972 Imposes legal duty on builders, developers, etc., to ensure dwellings are constructed with proper materials and workmanship so that they are fit for habitation.

Housing Defects Act 1984 Addressed defective dwellings disposed of by public sector authorities, giving statutory power for dealing with housing that has construction defects.

Responsible Actors Scheme (England) Introduced 2023 under the Building Safety Act landscape Requires developers who undertook construction/refurbishment of residential buildings over 11m in height over a 30-year period to remediate or pay for remediation of life-critical fire safety defects and/or reimburse government-funded remediation.

Building Safety Act / Regime 2022 Extends liability periods, introduces legal tools (e.g. Building Liability Orders), and strengthens accountability and remedies for defects arising from construction, particularly safety defects.

[edit] Ventilation

Sick Building Syndrome (SBS) is characterised by health problems and discomfort experienced by people in a building, with symptoms improving when they leave, but without a specific illness or cause being identified.Common symptoms include headaches, fatigue, eye, nose, and throat irritation, and skin rashes, while potential causes are multi-factorial and can involve poor ventilation, chemical contaminants like volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from furniture and cleaning products, and biological pollutants like mould. Symptoms are temporary and disappear after leaving the building, and other people in the building may also be affected.

[edit] Related articles on Designing Buildings

• Building defects at national scale and government interventions.
• Certificate of making good defects.
• Condition survey.
• Defective Premises - Liability and Measure of Damages.
• Defective Premises Act.
• Defects in brickwork.
• Defects in dot and dab.
• Defects in stonework.
• Defects liability period.
• Defects.
• Deleterious materials in construction.
• Ground heave.
• Latent defects.
• Mould growth.
• Penetrating damp.
• Rising damp.
• Schedule of defects.
• Settlement.
• Wall tie failure.