The UK government has announced an extension to its Waking Watch Replacement Fund for residential buildings with fire safety concerns, with additional funding to be added to the multi-million-pound pot
On 11 April 2025, the government announced that the 2023 fund, worth £20.6 million, would be extended until March 2026. Around £21.1 million in additional funds would also be made available to support the installation of a common alarm system, namely covering the upfront capital costs of its installation, with the total now over £41 million.
Looking to benefit leaseholders faced with high costs or remediation delays, the government programme will replace waking watch measures in all residential buildings where a waking watch is currently in place in England, regardless of where the costs of the waking watch fall.
As per its guidance, the government states that the common fire alarm system should generally be designed with the recommendations of BS 5839-1 for a Category L5 system, aligning with the revised recommendations from the National Fire Chief’s Council (NFCC) for simultaneous evacuations in purpose-built blocks of flats.
As reported by Inside Housing, Benjamin Ralph, head of building and fire safety at the real estate consultancy firm Hollis, said that the new extended fund would see a move away “from the costly waking watch towards more reliable and automated detection and alarm systems”.
However, he added that “these systems must not be seen as an excuse to extend the time it takes to carry out cladding remediation services. This should not be seen as a low-cost alternative to protect residents; work must still be carried out in a reasonable time frame”.
Intended to be a short-term interim fire safety measure only, as previously reported by the FPA, there have been some concerns over the efficiency of waking watches at buildings requiring remediation work, with a London borough council found to have spent millions on waking watches across its residential buildings.
As part of the Remediation Acceleration Plan launched in December 2024, the government said it was aware that “inefficient waking watch measures are still being used too often, and in too many cases, costs continue to be passed onto leaseholders”. In addition to the fund extension, it promised to “confirm long-term plans at the next stage of the spending review”.
More information about the waking watch replacement fund can be found here.