The Building Safety Levy

The Building Safety Levy, introduced under the Building Safety Act 2022, is a government measure designed to help fund the remediation of life-critical safety defects in residential buildings across England. The Levy is expected to raise £3.4 billion over a ten year period.

The Levy only applies to building control applications submitted on or after October 2026. Local authorities are responsible for administrating and collecting the Levy. It becomes payable once a Levy Liability Notice has been issued, and payment must be made before a completion certificate or final certificate can be issued.

Who Does the Levy Apply To?

The Levy applies to major residential developments, specifically those that:

• Create 10 or more new dwellings, or
• Create 30 or more purpose-built student accommodation bedspaces, and
• Create new residential floor space or increase existing residential floor space.

Exemptions

Certain types of development are exempt from the Levy, including:

• Affordable Housing
• Care homes
• Schools
• Hospitals
• Hotels and Hostels
• Temporary accomodation for homeless people

When the Levy Applies

The Levy applies only to building control applications submitted on or after 1 October 2026.

Applications submitted before this date are not subjected to the Levy, even if they are amended or varied later.

A Levy Liability Notice is issued when the developer submits a commencement notice for:

• A full plans application submitted to a local authority or the Building Safety Regulator (BSR), or
• An initial notice registered with a Registered Building Control Approver (RBCA) 

Levy Rates

Levy rates are set nationally by the Government. For developments within Tendring District, the following rates apply:

• £24.80 per m² of chargeable residential floor space
• £12.40 per m² for developments on previously developed (brownfield) land. This represents a 50% discount for brownfield sites.

Further information

For all details on the Building Safety Levy, including legislation, guidance, and implementation updates, please refer to the relevant UK Government publications.

Government Building Safety Levy Guidance

The Building Safety Levy (England) Regulations 2025