How long does it take to prepare a building safety case?

There is no standard timescale for preparing a building safety case. The time required depends significantly on the complexity of the building, the quality of the information available and how well its building safety risks are already understood.

For a relatively straightforward building with good records, current assessments and clearly understood risk controls, preparation may take a matter of weeks. A complex building with significant information gaps, outstanding surveys or unresolved safety issues may take considerably longer.

The writing of the safety case report is often not the part that determines the timescale. Delays are more commonly caused by the work required to understand and evidence the risk, including obtaining documents, commissioning surveys, resolving conflicting information, consulting specialists and addressing deficiencies.

A safety case should not therefore be approached simply as a report with a submission deadline. Starting early allows gaps to be identified and addressed before they become a problem during the Building Assessment Certificate process.

Once established, the safety case should then be maintained as a live body of information rather than recreated each time a new report is required.