Grenfell inquiry – What developers, landlords, and clients need to know

Why the Inquiry Still Matters

The Grenfell Tower Inquiry stage may be over, but the real change has only just started. The Phase 2 report arrived in 2024. The government’s response followed in early 2025. Together, they’ve triggered a major shift in how building safety is governed, delivered, and recorded.

If you’re designing, building, owning, or funding buildings, this isn’t a historic event. It’s a new baseline for operation.

Three types of accountability that now shape your work

1. Legal accountability

Since October 2023, the Building Safety Regulator (BSR) has held statutory powers over high-risk buildings in England. By the end of this year (2025), those powers will have expanded further under the Building Safety Act and the upcoming Remediation Bill.

Criminal penalties apply if key safety information is missing, inaccurate, or false. Recent guidance from the HSE makes it clear that the focus is on behaviour, not just paperwork.

What to do:

• Make sure your governance is solid.
• Keep trackable records of every decision, appointment, and design change.
• Be ready to show your workings, not just your outcome.

2. Commercial and reputational accountability

Your projects are under more scrutiny, from residents, insurers, investors, and local authorities. Gateway 2 applications are now taking up to 36 weeks. One of the main causes is poor-quality or incomplete evidence.

Insurers and lenders want to see clear compliance. It’s not enough just to announce that you meet the standards, you need to show how with supporting evidence.

What to do:

• Build safety into your brand – safety is a hallmark of quality and should be part of how your business presents itself both externally and internally. Clients, funders, and insurers are looking for proof that you take building safety seriously, and that it’s embedded in how you work.
• Make clear records, competent teams, and transparent decisions part of every pitch and update.
• Use compliance as proof of professionalism – meeting the rules isn’t just about avoiding penalties, it actually shows you run a competent, well-managed organisation.

3. Moral accountability

None of this is abstract. People have tragically lost their lives because the system failed. The reforms we see now exist because of that failure.

In October 2025, the National Fire Chiefs Council said it plainly: “Accountability is personal before it is procedural.”

What to do:

• Bring safety into board-level conversations – treat it as a strategic issue, not only a site or compliance matter. It should shape decisions on risk, resourcing, and project planning.
• Make sure the “right-first-time” mindset runs through every team and supply chain – from designers to contractors – all focussed on getting key decisions and safety measures correct upfront (and recording them).
• Lead by example – if senior teams prioritise safety in actions, decisions and investment, others will follow. Culture starts at the top.

What this means for you

If you’re a developer:

• Start Gateway planning before RIBA Stage 3.
• Engage a Principal Designer and BSR adviser early.
• Keep a live log of all key decisions – who made them and why.

If you’re a landlord or building owner:

• Check which assets fall under the definition of Higher-Risk Buildings.
• Get ready for new evacuation information duties from April 2026 (following the EEIS and PEEPs consultation).

If you’re a client or investor:

• Bring safety metrics into ESG and due diligence.
• Ask how your delivery teams show competence and compliance.
• Review your insurance and indemnity terms ahead of BSR enforcement and the new Building Safety Levy (due October 2026).

This is all about demonstrable proof

Compliance is no longer just completion of a checklist. The system expects clear records of decisions, backed by competent people, across the entire building lifecycle.

How to stay ready:

• Use a Common Data Environment to manage live compliance records.
• Run internal mock audits before BSR or client reviews.
• Train your teams on the Building Safety Act, dutyholder roles, and the new Building Regulations Procedures (England) Regulations 2023.

Where we go from here

• The Inquiry’s real outcome is a new standard. It touches everything, from how buildings are designed, to how they’re built, handed over, and managed long term.
• Safety isn’t an add-on, it’s part of your duty as a professional and it’s now more visible than ever.

If you’re unsure where to start or want to be certain your approach stands up to scrutiny, get in touch with enevo’s Building Safety team.

We work with clients across all stages of the building lifecycle, helping them meet their duties with clarity and confidence. We stay close to the regulator, track changes as they happen, and bring practical advice shaped by real conversations with the BSR.

This landscape is still changing – make sure you’re addressing it with the right partner behind you.