Cladding Safety Scheme: Funding and Eligibility
The Cladding Safety Scheme is a government-funded scheme, administered by Homes England, that pays for the assessment and remediation of unsafe cladding on residential buildings in England where no developer or other party can be held liable for the cost. Eligibility has changed since 2023, so check GOV.UK guidance.
Originally published in July 2023. That month the government announced the full opening of the Cladding Safety Scheme, as part of a wider package of measures to help end the building safety crisis across England.
The full opening of the Cladding Safety Scheme (CSS), announced in a speech by the then Housing Secretary Michael Gove, meant that government funding would cover the cost of removing unsafe cladding from mid-rise buildings where the responsible developer could not be made to pay.
At the time, the government estimated that thousands more mid-rise buildings would qualify, with no cost to the leaseholders in those buildings.
The scheme was to be funded from the £5.1 billion allocated by government to fix the most dangerous buildings and from the Building Safety Levy on new development.
As announced, it covered medium-rise buildings between 11 and 18 metres across England and high-rise buildings over 18 metres outside London, where fire safety professionals had recommended works, and it was open to the social housing sector.
Eligibility has changed since 2023, so building owners should check the current Cladding Safety Scheme guidance on GOV.UK before applying through the Homes England application portal. A separate funding window for some buildings under 11 metres ran from 17 August to 9 October 2026 and has now closed. Our guide to the Building Safety Act for blocks under 11 metres covers lower buildings.
What Does the Cladding Safety Scheme Cover?
The Cladding Safety Scheme funds the assessment and remediation of unsafe cladding on residential buildings in England where no developer or other party can be held liable for the cost. It is government-funded and administered by Homes England; check the current GOV.UK guidance for which building heights and locations it covers.
Managing a block where this applies? Our team can talk it through with you.
Who Is Eligible for the Cladding Safety Scheme?
Eligibility turns on the building rather than on who owns it: the building must be residential, must have life-safety fire risks associated with its cladding, and there must be no alternative route to funding, such as a developer remediation contract or a warranty claim. A building already covered by a developer pledge is not eligible.
What Do You Need to Apply for the Cladding Safety Scheme?
An application needs evidence, and the evidence takes time to obtain. A fire risk appraisal of the external wall carried out to PAS 9980 is the central document: it is what establishes whether a life-safety risk exists and what remediation is proportionate. Without one there is nothing for an assessor to consider.
Alongside it you will normally need proof of the building's height and use, the ownership and management structure, details of the leaseholders, and evidence that other funding routes have been examined and ruled out. Assembling that for a building with an absent freeholder or an inactive management company is usually the slowest part.
Can a Managing Agent Handle a Cladding Safety Scheme Application?
Yes. We act for resident management companies, RTM companies and freeholders through the process: commissioning the PAS 9980 appraisal from a competent assessor, assembling the application evidence, corresponding with the scheme, and running the remediation works afterwards, including the section 20 consultation where leaseholder contributions are involved.
Cladding Safety Scheme Questions
Who Pays for Cladding Remediation Under the Cladding Safety Scheme?
Government funding pays where the responsible developer cannot be made to pay and no other party can be held liable. When the scheme fully opened in July 2023, it was to be funded from the £5.1 billion allocated by government to fix the most dangerous buildings and from the Building Safety Levy on new development, with no cost to the leaseholders in qualifying buildings.
Do You Need a PAS 9980 Appraisal to Apply?
Yes. A fire risk appraisal of the external wall carried out to PAS 9980 is the central document in an application: it establishes whether a life-safety risk exists and what remediation is proportionate. Without one there is nothing for an assessor to consider, and because the evidence takes time to obtain, it is worth commissioning early.
Is Funding Available for Buildings Under 11 Metres?
A separate funding window for some buildings under 11 metres ran from 17 August to 9 October 2026 and has now closed. The Cladding Safety Scheme as announced in 2023 covered medium-rise buildings between 11 and 18 metres and high-rise buildings over 18 metres outside London, so owners of lower buildings should check the current GOV.UK guidance for what is available.
Sources
Everything above is taken from these, not from a summary of them:
- Cladding Safety Scheme GOV.UK
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