Cladding Safety Scheme

The Cladding Safety Scheme (CSS) is a fund that addresses fire risks associated with cladding on residential buildings. Its former name was the Medium Rise Scheme (MRS) which was announced in November 2022. The Building Safety Fund (BSF) is operated by the GLA for buildings over 18m in height in the Greater London Area.

The CSS will support applications for buildings where the applicant[footnote 1] is unable to afford to carry out the work themselves or feels that it is not their responsibility to do so. An application for the CSS can be submitted by the person or organisation legally responsible for the building’s external repairs or their representative.

The CSS is part of the wider Building Remediation Portfolio whose objectives include ensuring that residents are safe from risks associated with fire safety. Applications for both the CSS and BSF are made through the same online portal - the Building Remediation Hub, which is managed by Homes England.

Once initial application information is submitted, an instruction for a Fire Risk Appraisal of External Wall construction (FRAEW) can be made from a CSS assessor from a panel of Fire Risk Assessors.

Only a person or organisation legally responsible for a building’s external repair and maintenance can accept funding from the CSS via a grant funding agreement. This is also known as the ‘Responsible Entity’.

The Responsible Entity may be:

• the building’s freeholder [footnote 4] or head leaseholder
• a registered provider of social housing
• a management company (whether this operates for commercial gain or is managed by residents for the benefit of residents)
• a Right to Manage (RTM) Company [footnote 5] that has primary responsibility for the repair of the property

A Right to Manage Company is a company formed by qualifying leaseholders who manage the building or a self-contained part of a building in line with the Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Act 2002.

For further information about the Cladding Safety Scheme (CSS) visit Gov site Cladding Safety Scheme overview.

[edit] Related articles on Designing Buildings

• Accountability.
• Building Safety Regulator.
• CDM
• Duty holder.
• Fire.
• Government response to the Building a Safer Future consultation.
• Grenfell articles.
• Grenfell Tower Fire.
• Hackitt review of the building regulations and fire safety, final report.
• Health and safety file.
• Principal accountable person.
• Principal contractor.
• Accountable person.