The government has opened applications for cladding remediation funding for residential buildings under 11 metres, creating an 18-month window for landlords and freeholders to secure state support for works previously excluded from post-Grenfell programmes. Funding is available only where a PAS 9980:2022-compliant fire risk appraisal identifies "serious life critical fire safety risk." Applications close 9 October 2026.
The shift marks a move from height-based to risk-based prioritisation, following the Remediation Acceleration Plan Update published in July 2025. Until now, government remediation schemes have focused on buildings over 11 metres. The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government maintains that sub-11m buildings are "less likely to have widespread cladding fire safety risks," but acknowledges that some blocks present sufficient hazard to warrant intervention.
Funding is administered through the existing Cladding Safety Scheme, delivered by Homes England. Applications are submitted via the Building Remediation Hub. Eligibility criteria and process align with the main scheme, though the evidential threshold differs: the fire risk appraisal must be conducted by a suitably qualified and competent professional and must conclude that unsafe cladding presents a serious life critical fire safety risk.
The appraisal gamble
PAS 9980:2022 requires a fire risk appraisal of external walls to be conducted by a suitably qualified professional. In practice, this means RICS-registered building surveyors or fire engineers with demonstrable competency in external wall systems. Costs vary by building complexity, access constraints and the extent of intrusive investigation required, but £3,000 to £8,000 per block is the working range for straightforward cases.
The return is uncertain. The government has not published a definition of "serious life critical fire safety risk," nor any risk matrix, scoring system or worked examples. The phrase does not appear in PAS 9980:2022 itself, which categorises risk as "tolerable," "adequate" or requiring remediation, but does not define "serious" or "life critical" as formal thresholds. Appraisers and applicants are left to interpret the requirement without guidance.
This creates two layers of uncertainty. First, whether the appraisal will meet the funding threshold. Second, whether that threshold will be applied consistently across assessors and regions. The absence of a published evidential standard raises the risk of a postcode lottery driven by variations in professional judgement.
Who pays and who instructs
The scheme does not specify whether funding covers the full cost of remediation or requires a leaseholder or freeholder contribution. That position may be clarified in fund guidance or individual application outcomes, but the absence of upfront transparency complicates financial modelling.
Portfolio landlords and freeholders holding multiple sub-11m blocks face a cost-benefit decision for each property. Commission an appraisal and risk spending several thousand pounds with no payout, or hold fire and accept the transactional and valuation risk of an unapprised building in a market where a funding route now exists.
Letting agents and property managers should expect landlord clients to ask whether an appraisal is necessary, whether a building is likely to qualify, and what happens if they do not apply. Those questions require careful answers. PAS 9980 appraisal is a technical exercise; agents should not attempt to pre-judge eligibility or advise on fire risk without professional indemnity cover for that scope.
Estate agents and conveyancers handling sales or lettings in sub-11m blocks need to update Material Information protocols and buyer enquiry responses. Where a building may be eligible but has not been appraised, disclosure obligations are unclear. Where an appraisal has been commissioned but not yet completed, or an application is pending, transactability may be affected.
Capacity and competency pressure
Surveyors and fire consultancies gain a new instruction stream, but capacity constraints are likely. The PAS 9980 competency requirement is specific; not all building surveyors or fire engineers are qualified to undertake the work. If demand spikes ahead of the October 2026 deadline, availability may tighten and costs may rise.
Compliance professionals and specialist consultancies should verify that instructed surveyors hold current PAS 9980 competency and appropriate indemnity cover. A poorly executed appraisal may be rejected by Homes England or, worse, understate risk and leave the building exposed to future enforcement.