Course Duration: 30+ minutes
Understand the role of the Accountable Person (AP) and Principal Accountable Person (PAP) under the Building Safety Act 2022, how each role arises and what it requires for occupied higher-risk buildings in England.
Practical ownership scenarios show who holds the legal accountability, how duties are shared between several APs and why delegating tasks never delegates that accountability.
| Course Duration | 30+ minutes |
|---|---|
| Approval body | IIRSM |
| Format | Fully online |
| Assessment | Multiple choice |
| Certification | Same-day digital certificate |
| Certificate Valid For | 3 years |
This course is for anyone involved in managing higher-risk residential buildings in England, including:
The Introduction to the Building Safety Act 2022 course includes the following sections:
How AP and PAP roles arise from legal estates and repairing obligations, what counts as the common parts and why the PAP role cannot be self-assigned.
Five ownership scenarios, including leasehold flats run by a managing agent, a mixed-use building, university-owned student housing and a head lease, showing who is the AP and who is the PAP in each.
The duty to take all reasonable steps to prevent building safety risks (the spread of fire and structural failure) materialising and to limit the consequences if they do. How those risks are assessed and managed, when AP duties begin and how they relate to Responsible Person duties under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005.
The safety information APs must share with other APs, the PAP, the Building Safety Regulator (BSR) and residents. The safety occurrences that must be reported to the BSR through Mandatory Occurrence Reporting (MOR).
The PAP’s additional responsibilities, including registering the building with the BSR, applying for a Building Assessment Certificate when directed, the safety case report, the MOR system and coordinating the other APs.
Why tasks can be delegated to staff, managing agents, consultants and contractors but legal accountability cannot. How to define and oversee delegated work. When the BSR must be told that roles have changed.
Why AP and PAP status can be disputed, which documents and questions help settle it, the role of the First-tier Tribunal and good practice for buildings with several APs.
Disclaimer: This course provides awareness of specific duties under the Building Safety Act 2022. Completion does not constitute a formal assessment of competence to undertake statutory dutyholder responsibilities..
This course helps learners:
The course certificate includes:
An IIRSM-approved course certificate will be available for download and printing instantly upon course completion.
Users must complete a final theory test before earning their certificate.
The end-of-course test is:
A score of 80% is required to pass.
The Building Safety Act 2022 places legal duties for occupied higher-risk buildings in England on the people and organisations that own, or must repair, the common parts. These Accountable Person roles arise automatically from legal estates and repairing obligations. They are not applied for, chosen or assigned by job title.
In practice, layered leases, split freeholds and mixed-use ownership can make it hard to see who holds which role. Day-to-day work is often handed to managing agents, consultants and contractors, which can blur where responsibility sits. If the wrong party registers a building or submits information to the BSR, organisations risk delays, invalid submissions and enforcement action.
The PAP commits a criminal offence if a higher-risk building is occupied while unregistered, or if it does not apply for a Building Assessment Certificate within 28 days of a BSR direction, unless it has a reasonable excuse.
Under Part 4 of the Building Safety Act 2022:
This training helps your organisation:
Do your teams know who is accountable for your higher-risk buildings and what that accountability involves? Enrol them on The Role of Accountable Persons & Principal Accountable Persons. The course is fully online, so learners can complete it at their own pace on any device.
