Resident Engagement Strategy Template

A resident engagement strategy is a formal document that the Principal Accountable Person (PAP) must prepare under section 91 of the Building Safety Act 2022 for every higher-risk building. It sets out how residents will be informed about building safety matters, consulted on safety decisions, and given a mechanism to raise concerns. The strategy must be kept under review and updated when circumstances change. It is a legal requirement, not optional guidance.

If residents request a Residents' Panel, you must facilitate one. Section 91 of the Building Safety Act requires the PAP to promote resident participation in building safety decisions. While the Act does not mandate a panel in every building, the Building Safety Regulator expects the engagement strategy to include provisions for structured resident involvement, and a Residents' Panel is the most common and effective way to achieve this. Setting one up proactively demonstrates good practice.

Failure to prepare a resident engagement strategy is a breach of section 91 of the Building Safety Act. The Building Safety Regulator (BSR) can issue compliance notices requiring you to prepare one, and continued non-compliance can lead to enforcement action including prosecution. During Building Assessment Certificate assessments, the BSR actively checks for evidence of resident engagement. Poor engagement also increases the likelihood of resident complaints escalating directly to the BSR.

There is no prescribed review frequency in the Act, but annual review is considered good practice. You should also update the strategy after significant changes: new safety works being commissioned, a change in management arrangements, a change in Accountable Persons, or feedback from residents indicating the current approach is not working. Each review should be documented in the Golden Thread with the date, changes made, and updated version number.

Under sections 89 and 90 of the Building Safety Act, you must proactively provide residents with information about the building's safety measures, fire safety arrangements, the current evacuation strategy, and how to report concerns. This includes the names and contact details of all Accountable Persons, the status of fire risk assessment actions, and details of any safety works planned or in progress. You must also respond to resident requests for prescribed information within the statutory period.