The golden thread: what an Accountable Person has to keep

The Building Safety Act 2022 created a new regime for higher-risk buildings in England. A higher-risk building is at least 18 metres or 7 storeys tall and has at least two residential units. At the centre of the regime is the golden thread: the information needed to show that the building meets building regulations and to manage the risks of fire spread and structural failure.

Who is responsible

During design and construction, the client makes sure the information is kept and managed, and gives the principal designer and principal contractor access to it. Once the building is occupied, the Accountable Person keeps the golden thread. Where there is more than one Accountable Person, the Principal Accountable Person takes the lead.

The four tests

Building Safety Regulator guidance describes what good golden thread information looks like. In short, it has to be:

• Digital and secure. Kept in digital form and protected. It can sit in more than one system.
• Reliable. Accurate and up to date, a single source of truth for the building.
• Accessible. Available to the people who need it for their work, when they need it, and easy to use.
• Complete over time. Started before building work begins, updated through construction and handed to the Accountable Person on completion.

Existing buildings

Many occupied buildings were finished long before the golden thread existed. For these, the Accountable Person must make reasonable enquiries to find the information needed to assess and manage the risks of fire spread and structural failure. In practice that means gathering drawings, fire strategy documents, test certificates and maintenance records, then filling the gaps.

Where to start

Start by finding out what you already hold and where it is. A short health check against the requirements turns a pile of folders into a clear list of gaps and priorities. From there, the information can be given one digital structure by system and asset, and kept current after every test, visit and change.

Sources: Building Safety Act 2022; Higher-Risk Buildings (Keeping and Provision of Information etc.) (England) Regulations 2024; Building Safety Regulator guidance, Understanding the golden thread.