Principal Accountable Person
Principal Accountable Person (PAP) and Accountable Person (AP)
Under the Building Safety Act, the Principal Accountable Person (PAP) and Accountable Person (AP) have key responsibilities to ensure the safety and compliance of higher-risk buildings, during occupation and throughout the buildings lifecycle.
Principal Accountable Person (PAP): The PAP oversees the safety management of a building or group of buildings, ensuring that the safety regime is consistently applied across all stages of a building’s lifecycle. The PAP coordinates the efforts of other accountable persons within a building or portfolio and is ultimately responsible for maintaining the building's safety standards. In addition to their role in safety management, the PAP ensures the ongoing maintenance and upkeep of the Golden Thread, a digital record that tracks safety-critical information, ensuring it remains accurate and accessible at all times.
Accountable Person (AP): The AP is responsible for the safety of specific buildings or parts of a building. Their duties include ensuring that safety measures are in place and regularly maintained, with a strong focus on fire safety and structural integrity. The AP plays a key role in managing risk, ensuring compliance with safety regulations, and acting as the primary point of contact for building safety issues. The AP must also contribute to maintaining the Golden Thread, keeping safety-critical information up-to-date and ensuring it’s available for inspection by regulators, tenants, and relevant stakeholders.
Golden Thread And Maintenance Responsibilities:
Both the PAP and AP are responsible for ensuring that the Golden Thread—a clear, accessible, and up-to-date record of building safety information—is maintained. This includes documenting and tracking:
- Building designs and any modifications made
- Risk assessments and safety measures in place
- Details of any safety-critical systems or equipment
- Maintenance schedules and records of works completed
- Fire safety plans and emergency procedures
Additionally, both roles are responsible for ensuring that regular maintenance of building safety features and systems is carried out to prevent deterioration or risks to building users. This includes implementing proactive safety checks, addressing defects or safety concerns promptly, and ensuring compliance with ongoing regulatory requirements.
By maintaining the Golden Thread and ensuring the building is kept safe and compliant, the PAP and AP help to create a safer built environment, providing transparency, accountability, and long-term protection for building occupants.
The Building Safety Act 2022 introduced new roles and responsibilities in the UK to improve building safety, particularly for high-rise residential buildings. The terms "accountable person" , “principal accountable person” and "duty holder" refer to different roles under this legislation.
| Aspect | Accountable Person (AP) | Principal Accountable Person (PAP) | Duty Holder |
| Definition |
Organisation or individual who owns or has legal obligation to repair any common parts of a building |
Each building must have one clearly identifiable AP, known as the PAP. |
Various roles during design, construction, and refurbishment phases |
| Number per building |
Can be multiple |
Only one |
Multiple, depending on project phase |
|
Primary responsibility |
Manage structural and fire safety risks in the parts of the building they are responsible for |
Overall safety management for structural and fire safety for the whole building |
Ensure competence of workforce and building regulations compliance are met during their phase of work |
|
Timing of role |
Ongoing, during occupation |
Ongoing, during occupation |
During design, construction, or refurbishment |
|
Registration duties |
None specific |
Must register the building with BSR |
None specific |
|
Safety case |
Contribute to safety case and ‘golden thread’ |
Prepare and update the building's safety case and ‘golden thread’ |
Contribute to the "golden thread" of information |
|
Resident engagement |
Participate in resident engagement |
Prepare and update resident engagement strategy |
Limited direct resident engagement |
|
Reporting |
Report safety occurrences to BSR |
Operate mandatory occurrence reporting system |
Report issues within their phase of work |
|
Complaints handling |
Participate in complaints system |
Operate a complaints system |
Handle complaints related to their work phase |
|
Oversight of others |
No oversight of other APs |
Oversee all APs' safety management |
Oversee work within their area of responsibility |
|
Building assessment |
Contribute information |
Apply for building assessment certificate |
Not typically involved |
|
Examples |
Freeholder, landlord, management company |
Housing association, local authority |
Designer, contractor, client |
|
Legal accountability |
Cannot delegate legal obligations |
Cannot delegate legal obligations |
Cannot delegate legal obligations Responsible for their phase of work |
The main difference is that the accountable person has ongoing responsibility for an occupied building, while duty holders have responsibilities during specific phases of a building's creation or major renovation. However, duty holders responsible for building works must maintain detailed records of their competence and compliance for the projects undertaken, as legislation like the Defective Premises Act may require records of work completed up to 30 years ago. It's worth noting that in some cases, an entity might be both an accountable person and a duty holder, depending on their role and the stage of the building's lifecycle.