Fire alarm funding for at-risk buildings

The Ministry of Housing, Communities, and Local Government (MHCLG) has announced £62 million to fund the installation of fire alarms in buildings awaiting remediation

In a press release issued on 1 April 2026, the government department stated that the new Interim Measures Alarm Fund (IMAF), managed and delivered by Homes England, would “further incentivise” the installation of common fire alarms in at-risk buildings.

As such, it aims to improve resident safety, reduce the financial burden on leaseholders, support remediation programmes, reduce reliance on manual fire wardens, and enable the installation of more effective, long-term alarm systems.

The £62.7 million fund follows the Waking Watch Replacement Fund (WWRF), a long-term funding that closed on 31 March 2026. First launched in 2021, the WWRF issued just over £71 million in grant funding to install alarms in 801 buildings in England.

In response to the final Grenfell Tower Inquiry report, the government shared its commitment to accelerate remediation of unsafe buildings with its Remediation Acceleration Plan (RAP). Part of this included an extension of the WWRF alongside a commitment to confirm long-term plans for the fund. In an update in July 2025, the government announced a new fund that would run continuously for the remaining operation of the government’s remediation schemes up to 2035.

Estimates suggest that the implementation of the WWRF saved leaseholders approximately £273 each month, with IMAF also intended to support residents in remaining safe in their homes as they await the completion of remediation work and “potentially save leaseholders hundreds of pounds each month” on the cost of ongoing interim measures.

Delivered by Homes England, the new long-term fund will be granted via the Cladding Safety Scheme (CSS) platform.

All new applications for government funding to install interim alarms to replace, or mitigate the need for, waking watch must be made to the IMAF from 1 April 2026.

More information about the fund, eligibility criteria, and how to apply can be found here.