Cladding Safety Scheme Reform – Update for Social Housing Providers

On 11 June 2025 it was confirmed that social housing providers were going to be granted equal access to the Government’s Cladding Safety Scheme (CSS) funding. The Government confirmed that over £1 billion had been committed in new investment to accelerate social housing remediation by giving social landlords access to the CSS funding on the same footing as private building owners. 

That change has now been formalised in the CSS guidance available on the Government website confirming the following.

An Expanded Eligibility Framework: Buildings exceeding 11 metres (but not exceeding 18m in height) now qualify for funding regardless of their tenure. This directly addresses the previous impediment that excluded mixed-tenure developments.

The Abolition of Financial Distress Requirements: Previously social sector applicants who wanted to seek the full cost of remediation of a property which was a mixed tenure block had to show that their financial viability or housing revenue account was threatened by the cost of the remedial works. The guidance no longer makes any reference to financial viability.

Social housing providers are encouraged to review their remediation programmes and where the property meets this revised eligibility criteria, make applications to the CSS as soon as possible.

There will also be the ability to apply for a funding uplift where a property is in the CSS already, provided that the cladding remediation works contract was signed after 11 June 2025. 

The Government has made clear there is no time to waste when it comes to fire safety defects and the Remediation Acceleration Plan published in December 2024, set out the Government’s expectation to see an accelerated remediation of residential buildings with unsafe cladding. Landlords overseeing buildings of 11 to 18 metres in height will need to be completed by 2029. These changes to the CSS mean that social landlords can now access the same Government support available to private building owners by giving social landlords equal access to the funding it will remove one of the biggest barriers social landlords have faced to remediation with the aim it will allow the accelerated target dates to be met. 

Contact Rachel Jones and Michael Petrick should you have any questions or require any further information in respect of the Cladding Safety Scheme or any fire safety defect queries.