Building safety

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Gateley Legal, Gateley Smithers Purslow, Gateley Vinden

Building safety: helping you manage building safety risk at every stage

Building safety is now one of the most significant and complex challenges facing developers, investors, asset owners, asset managers and management companies. Since the Grenfell tragedy and the introduction of the Building Safety Act 2022, the regulatory landscape has fundamentally changed. The result is increased scrutiny, wider accountability and greater legal, financial and reputational risk.

For those responsible for buildings, this is no longer just a compliance issue. It now impacts asset value, funding, transactions, insurance, resident relationships and long-term reputation. Navigating that landscape requires more than legal advice. It requires a clear strategy, joined-up delivery, and the ability to manage risk as it evolves.

Gateley brings all this together in one integrated team.

Why choose Gateley to advise on building safety? 

Our team of lawyers, surveyors, engineers, project managers and tax specialists work together to advise on and to manage building safety issues, delivering a clear, practical route through building safety challenges.

  • End-to-end support – from design and construction through to occupation, remediation and dispute resolution.
  • Truly multi-disciplinary – lawyers, surveyors, engineers and tax specialists working as one team.
  • Proven track record – advising 18 of the top 20 UK developers.
  • Commercial focus – solutions that protect value, enable delivery and support decision-making.
  • Practical delivery – advice and hands-on support with project delivery and remediation.

How can Gateley support you

We help clients navigate the complexity of the regime and understand how obligations apply in practice. This includes:

  • Higher-Risk Building (HRB) classification
  • Accountable Person and Principal Accountable Person duties
  • Repairing obligations within complex ownership structures
  • Interaction with statutory and third-party duties
  • Safety Case Reports and the Golden Thread
  • Mandatory reporting and resident engagement requirements

Outcome: Clear accountability, reduced regulatory risk, and a confident compliance strategy.

Where defects or risks are identified, we support clients through the full remediation lifecycle. We help you to:

  • Define remediation scope and strategy
  • Navigate gateway and dutyholder requirements
  • Procure and manage delivery teams
  • Oversee programmes and quality assurance
  • Balance legal, technical and commercial considerations

Outcome: Well-managed remediation programmes that protect safety, value and stakeholder relationships.

The right contractual framework is critical to successful delivery. We advise on:

  • Building contracts and consultant appointments
  • Procurement strategies and frameworks
  • Remedial works agreement and funding agreements
  • Warranties and scopes of service
  • Risk allocation and commercial protection

Outcome: Robust, deliverable contracts aligned to your risk profile and project objectives.

Building safety issues often give rise to complex and high-value disputes.

Our integrated team includes lawyers, surveyors, adjudicators and experts who can:

  • Resolve disputes through adjudication, mediation, arbitration or litigation
  • Manage claims efficiently while keeping projects moving
  • Coordinate legal and technical strategy end-to-end

Outcome: Effective resolution strategies that minimise disruption and protect commercial outcomes.

We help clients recover costs wherever possible. This includes:

  • Claims against developers, contractors, consultants and suppliers
  • Product liability claims
  • Remediation Orders and Remediation Contribution Orders
  • Building Liability Orders
  • Service charge recovery
  • Tax reliefs, including Land Remediation Relief

Outcome: A clear route to cost recovery aligned with your legal position and commercial priorities.

Building safety is now a core transaction risk. We support:

  • Due diligence on acquisitions
  • Assessment of compliance and documentation
  • Identification of historic or emerging defects
  • Evaluation of regulatory risk and exposure
  • Structuring of transactions and risk allocation

Outcome: Informed decision-making and reduced transactional risk.

A complex regime. A clear approach.

Building safety obligations are complex and often shared across multiple parties and layered ownership structures.

We help clients:

  • understand where responsibility sits
  • assess risk across individual buildings and portfolios
  • design practical compliance strategies
  • deliver remediation efficiently
  • manage disputes and recover costs.

Our role is simple: to give you clarity, reduce risk and enable confident decision-making.

One team. Multiple disciplines. Better outcomes.

Building safety problems do not sit in silos – and neither do we. Unlike traditional law firms, Gateley brings together:

  • legal advisers
  • building surveyors
  • engineers
  • project managers
  • tax specialists

working as one integrated team. This means faster, more joined-up advice; solutions that work in practice, not just in theory.

Our expertise in action

End-to-end advice on all your building safety needs:

  • Fire safety and cladding defects
  • Complex multi-party claims
  • High-value remediation programmes
  • Portfolio-wide risk assessments
  • Regulatory compliance and enforcement

Our extensive experience includes:

  • identifying potential building safety liabilities and defending building safety claims
  • pursuing recovery actions against original project consultants and contractors including recovery actions against cladding product manufacturers
  • support in the management of high-risk buildings for leaseholders as PAP and RP across their portfolio (legacy and new build)
  • advising on procurement strategies for remedial projects including the necessary agreements to undertake and fund, or solely fund, remedial works pursuant to the SRTs

Talk to us

Building safety challenges are complex – but with the right support, they are manageable. Whether you are assessing risk, planning remediation or managing a live issue, we can help you move forward with confidence.

Click here to get in touch with our building safety team.

Our people

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  • Understanding Heads of Terms: Key considerations for the leasing of commercial property

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  • Understanding Heads of Terms: Key considerations for the leasing of commercial property

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  • Understanding Heads of Terms: Key considerations for the leasing of commercial property

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  • Understanding Heads of Terms: Key considerations for the leasing of commercial property

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    This person explains Heads of Terms in depth and highlights key considerations in relation to the leasing of commercial propert...

  • Understanding Heads of Terms: Key considerations for the leasing of commercial property

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    This person explains Heads of Terms in depth and highlights key considerations in relation to the leasing of commercial propert...

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    This person explains Heads of Terms in depth and highlights key considerations in relation to the leasing of commercial propert...

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