New legislation will lead to thousands of buildings with unsafe cladding being fixed faster, the government has said after this week publishing a joint plan with the social housing sector to accelerate remediation across England, as well as setting out plans for a new law as part of the second phase of the Remediation Acceleration Plan.

The government has committed to invest over £1 billion to give social landlords equal access to funding schemes as private building owners. The Cladding Safety Scheme guidance has been changed so that the equal access policy can be implemented with immediate effect.

As part of this work, housing associations, local authorities and regulators are committing to accelerate work to assess and fix social housing buildings, and to improve support to social tenants before, during and after remedial works.

A new Remediation Bill is also being brought forward to make sure that landlords are held to account for fixing unsafe cladding and to tackle the slow pace of action across the sector.

The legislation – which the government says will be brought forward as soon as parliamentary timetable allows – will require landlords of buildings 18m or more in height with unsafe cladding to complete remediation by the end of 2029, and landlords of buildings 11-18m in height to complete remediation by the end of 2031.

Those who fail to comply without reasonable excuse could face unlimited fines or imprisonment. New legislation will also give named bodies, such as Homes England and local authorities, powers to remediate buildings with unsafe cladding if the landlord fails to do so.

Housing secretary Angela Rayner said: “Today we have given social landlords access to over £1 billion to remediate unsafe cladding and make residents safe. The social sector is ready to rise to the challenge and make sure that residents are safe in their homes.

“We are also today sending a clear message to those responsible for a building still wrapped in unsafe cladding: act now or face the consequences. Our Remediation Bill will include a new duty on you to make your building safe by a specified date, and new powers to impose serious penalties on those who fail to comply with the duty, and ultimately to bypass them if necessary to make the building safe.”

Building safety and fire minister Alex Norris said: “We are determined to make buildings safe and protect residents. Since publishing our Remediation Acceleration Plan, we’ve made strong progress, and this update goes further to drive accountability and remove barriers to speed up remediation.

“There is now a clear pathway to remediate every building with unsafe cladding. We expect everyone to play their part in giving residents and leaseholders the peace of mind that they deserve.”

Additional support has also been announced for leaseholders, including long-term support to help replace Waking Watch measures and shield leaseholders from costly interim safety measures.

For the first time, government funding will also be made available to support fire-safety cladding remediation works on buildings under 11 metres, in exceptional cases where no alternative viable funding route exists.

The government has also recently laid regulations for the Building Safety Levy, delivering on a key commitment from the initial Remediation Acceleration Plan. The levy government has said that it expects to raise £3.4 billion over the next decade to help fund remediation and will come into force from October 2026.

To maintain the viability of housing delivery, the levy has exemptions for affordable housing, supported housing and for development of fewer than 10 dwellings as well as a discount for previously developed land.

Through Local Remediation Acceleration Plans, Mayoral Strategic Authorities will work closely with regulators and draw on local expertise to drive progress in their areas. These locally tailored plans will address unsafe buildings more effectively and ensure residents feel safe in their homes. The government has provided over £5 million to Metro Mayors to support them in this effort.

A new National Remediation system, now being rolled out by Homes England, will also support regulators with up-to date building safety data and help hold failing landlords to account.

Since publication of the Remediation Action Plan in December 2024, 24,000 more residents are living in homes that have been remediated.