The number of residential buildings being monitored under government cladding remediation programmes has risen by more than 12% since January, according to analysis by Property Inspect.

Some 4,697 residential buildings of 11 metres or higher were being monitored for unsafe cladding at the end of July 2026, compared with 4,191 at the end of January.

Property Inspect’s analysis of Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government data shows the total increased by 12.1% over the seven-month period, although part of the rise reflects buildings already expected to require work being brought within government programmes.

MHCLG estimates that its programmes are now monitoring between 64% and 81% of buildings expected to require remediation, against a range of 49% to 73% in January.

MORE BUILDINGS ENTER REMEDIATION PIPELINE

The number of buildings between 11 and 18 metres being monitored increased by 13.7%, while the total for buildings of 18 metres and above rose by 10.8%.

There has also been an increase in remediation activity. The number of buildings where work is under way has risen by 3.3% since January, while completed remediation — including buildings awaiting building control sign-off — has increased by 22.2%.

However, the number of buildings waiting for remediation to start has also grown, rising by 7.5% over the same period.

The figures come ahead of the introduction of the Building Safety Levy on 1 October 2026, which will impose a charge on qualifying residential developments in England to help meet the cost of dealing with historic building safety defects.

The levy will apply to relevant building control applications and notices submitted from that date. It will generally cover developments creating 10 or more homes or at least 30 purpose-built student accommodation bedspaces, subject to exemptions.

LEVY RATES VARY BY LOCATION

Charges will be based on the amount of qualifying floorspace, with rates varying between local authority areas and according to whether schemes are being built on previously developed land.

Kensington & Chelsea has the highest stated rate, at £50.17 per sq m for residential development on previously developed land and £100.35 per sq m on previously undeveloped land.

Westminster’s corresponding rates are £49.01 and £98.01 per sq m, while Hammersmith & Fulham’s are £45.94 and £91.87.

Outside London, Epsom and Ewell has the highest rate for previously undeveloped land at £56.62 per sq m, followed by Cambridge at £50.87.

Sián Hemming-Metcalfe, operations director at Property Inspect, said: “The Building Safety Levy marks an important step in addressing one of the biggest challenges to emerge from the building safety crisis, because it creates a dedicated mechanism for the development sector to contribute towards the cost of putting unsafe buildings right.

“However, money alone will not clear the backlog. The latest figures show that the number of buildings being monitored for remediation continues to grow, while thousands of buildings remain somewhere in the remediation pipeline.

“We need to make sure that the funding, skills, and capacity required to move these buildings through the process are available at the same time.”

APPROVAL TIMES REMAIN A CONSTRAINT

Hemming-Metcalfe said delays could occur before remediation starts and after physical work has been completed. Building Safety Regulator data cited by Property Inspect puts the median approval time for remediation applications at 33 weeks, down from 43 weeks a year earlier.

She said: “That’s a significant improvement on the 43 weeks seen a year ago, but it still means many months can pass before work even starts. And one of the less visible challenges is what happens after the physical work has been completed.

“A building can have undergone significant works and still be waiting for the necessary inspections, evidence, and building control sign-off before residents can have full confidence that the process is complete.”

Hemming-Metcalfe added: “We are already seeing significant investment and reform aimed at addressing shortages in building control and other building safety professions.

“But the industry needs to keep building that capacity if we are going to turn completed works into fully signed-off, demonstrably safe buildings.

“The faster we can assess applications, verify completed works, and provide the necessary sign-off, the faster residents can have certainty that the work has been completed properly.”