Building Safety Act - 2026 Virtual Conference

Introduction

The Building Safety Act continues to drive significant change across the built environment, creating new duties, new risks and new expectations for those advising on or delivering safe buildings.

This virtual conference, chaired by Sarah Schütte, brings together leading specialists to offer practical insight into how the regime is developing in practice, the emerging themes from recent decisions and the challenges organisations are now facing as implementation deepens. Through a series of focused sessions, the event will support professionals who need to navigate the Act with confidence and anticipate what is coming next.

Conference Agenda

This live and interactive 5-hour conference will cover the following:

10am-11am: Managing Building Safety Act Risk Inside the Organisation: Getting Going with the BSA

Sarah Schütte, Director, Schütte Consulting Limited

‘The BSA contains so much, where do I start?’ is a question I am often asked. This session will help you get going with the BSA and provide ideas to take forward.

It will engage delegates by identifying key BSA activities and compliance tasks to tackle, so they can appropriately critique their organisation’s contextual situation, and decide the key what, when and how of real-life BSA-impacted work. In addition, key dates and timelines will be identified with tips for addressing stakeholder concerns and improving in-house competencies.

Readiness for a Regulator’s enquiry is your key to success! This session will show you the way.

Delegates will:

• Gain practical ideas for tackling the myriad of BSA activities and learn to prioritise them appropriately for their business
• Understand how to communicate with stakeholders about BSA activities to maximise smooth and effective works and services, while maintaining and improving their safe living environment
• Identify areas of competency for themselves, their team and their organisation, with a view to mapping into an L&D action plan

Morning Break

11:10am-12:10pm: Recent Case Law Under the Building Safety Act

Justin Bates KC, Landmark Chambers

The Building Safety Act represents a major shift in culture and law and, as such, has generated an enormous amount of case law in its short life. Join Justin Bates KC as he takes you through the recent decisions, from the Supreme Court downwards.

Learning outcomes:

• Understand the initial case law
• Develop an awareness of the likely appeal points

12:10pm-1:10pm: Unjust & Inequitable? The Remediation Contribution Order Jurisdiction & the First Tier Tribunal

Myriam Stacey KC & Tom Morris, Landmark Chambers

A focus on the evolving interpretation of the s.124 of the Act, the wide and seemingly unfettered power conferred on the FTT to make remediation contribution orders once gateway conditions are satisfied, and practical tips for practitioners.

Learning outcomes:

• An overview of the FTT's jurisdiction and the policy objectives
• The chain of theoretical liability
• Decisions in Vista Towers and Triathlon Homes litigation
• Practical implications for applicants and respondents

Break for lunch

2-3pm: The Building Safety Act 2022 & Development Viability

Carina Wentzel, Town Legal

The Building Safety Act 2022 has a number of important implications for the viability and deliverability of new development. This session will consider how, from a planning perspective, Gateway 2 delays can impede development, affect viability and the practical measures developers can seek to adopt to address these issues.

The session will also examine the new Building Safety Levy, which is due take effect in October 2026, and the challenges it presents. The session will highlight how developers are adapting their strategies, and the key considerations for those advising on risk, timing and investment decisions, as the implications of the Building Safety Act continue to emerge.

Learning Outcomes:

• Understand the planning implications of Gateway 2 delays in relation to implementation and viability, and the practical measures developers can seek to adopt to address these issues
• Understand how the Building Safety Levy is to be applied and the challenges it presents

Afternoon break

3:15-4:15pm: Leasehold, Service Charges & the Building Safety Act: Emerging Issues & Practical Challenges

Richard Snape, Davitt Jones Bould

This session revisits the definition of a qualifying leaseholder, relevant defect and relevant building in the light of recent case law on measuring the height of buildings and the case of Almacantar Centre Pont Nominees v de Valk (2025). It will also look at service charge implications in the light of the Court of Appeal decisions of Cloisters v Anvari (2026). There will also be a discussion of changes made by the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024.

Learning Outcomes:

• To have a thorough knowledge of the concepts of qualifying leaseholders, relevant buildings and relevant defects
• To be updated on recent developments in service charges and the Building Safety Act

Recording of live sessions: Soon after the Learn Live session has taken place you will be able to go back and access the recording - should you wish to revisit the material discussed.