For the first time, buildings under 11 metres tall may be eligible for funding to address cladding fire safety risks, but there is only an eight-week opportunity to submit a claim.
For years, the magic number in cladding safety has been 11 metres. Tall enough, and a building was in scope for government funding. Just under it, and you were largely on your own, even if your building had the same combustible materials.
That’s finally changing. The UK government has just (early July 2026) confirmed new funding through the Cladding Safety Scheme, delivered by Homes England, specifically for eligible residential buildings under 11 metres.
It’s a welcome shift, recognising that fire risk isn’t just about how tall a building is, but how it’s built.
If you own, manage, or are responsible for a lower-rise multi-occupancy residential block, here’s what the announcement means, and why now is the time to get your ducks in a row.
It’s not for every building
The funding is not automatically available for buildings under 11 metres.
The government still believes most lower-rise buildings don’t have serious cladding risks, so this funding is aimed at buildings where a genuine, evidenced fire safety concern exists.
The key is a Fire Risk Appraisal of External Walls (FRAEW), carried out in line with PAS 9980:2022 by a suitably qualified assessor. This isn’t a tick-box exercise – it needs to properly weigh up your building’s external wall construction, how fire could spread, your escape routes, and who’s living there. If it identifies risk to life that isn’t tolerable without remediation you have a route to eligibility.
Homes England will be scrutinising these assessments, so a report that just spots some combustible insulation and recommends ripping everything out isn’t going to cut it. It needs to be thorough, properly evidenced and proportionate when it comes to the proposed mitigation.
The clock is ticking
Here’s the bit that should really focus minds: applications open on 17 August 2026 and close eight weeks later.
Buildings assessed as highest risk will be considered initially, on a first-come, first-served basis within that priority tier. Medium-risk cases will only be funded if money remains after that. Some buildings may only get partial funding.
So, being ready on day one matters.
Waiting until the window opens to start commissioning surveys, digging out drawings, or working out who your “Responsible Entity” is could put you at a real disadvantage.
Fixing Isn’t necessarily full replacement
The scheme doesn’t assume every eligible building needs a total cladding strip-out.
Where the FRAEW supports it, proportionate measures – like localised repairs, added fire barriers, or improved fire alarm and sprinkler systems – may be funded instead. The goal is making the building safe, not gold-plating it.
What you should do now
You don’t need to commission a FRAEW for every building you own in a panic. But, if you’ve got a lower-rise block with combustible cladding, rendered systems, unclear cavity barriers, incomplete records, or a Fire Risk Assessment that’s already flagged concerns, it’s worth exploring this funding route.
That means:
- Confirming who your Responsible Entity is
- Pulling together drawings, specifications and past surveys
- Reviewing your current Fire Risk Assessment
- Getting a proportionate, properly evidenced FRAEW commissioned
- Looking into developer, warranty and insurance routes for recovery
- Having your application evidence ready before mid-August
We can help with a claim submission
This is exactly the kind of thing we love getting stuck into; cutting through the funding jargon, working out whether your building needs a FRAEW, and helping you build an application that stands up to scrutiny rather than getting stuck in a queue of queries.