If you're a responsible entity for a multi-occupied residential building under 11 metres, there's a new funding route worth knowing about - and a clock that's already ticking.

On 17 August 2026, the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government (MHCLG) extended the Cladding Safety Scheme to cover eligible buildings under 11 metres in England and Northern Ireland. Applications are open now, delivered by Homes England, and the window closes on Friday 9 October 2026. We're currently one week in, with seven weeks left to apply.

Here's what's changed, who it applies to, and what you'll need before you can submit.

What's actually changed

Until now, government-funded cladding remediation schemes have focused on taller buildings, where the fire safety risk from external wall systems is generally considered more widespread. That's shifting. MHCLG has launched new funding specifically for buildings under 11m, delivered through the Cladding Safety Scheme.

This move delivers on a commitment made in the Remediation Acceleration Plan Update (July 2025), and it supports a risk-based approach to remediation rather than a height-based cut-off. In practice, that means funding decisions are being driven by the actual fire safety risk a building presents - not simply whether it clears an 11m threshold.

Who this is actually for

It's worth being upfront about how MHCLG frames this: their position remains that buildings under 11m are less likely to have widespread cladding fire safety risk than taller buildings. This isn't a blanket funding scheme for every low-rise block.

Funding is being prioritised according to cladding fire safety risk, with priority given to buildings that present a high, life-critical risk. So the scheme isn't open-ended, it's targeted at buildings where a genuine risk has been identified and evidenced.

That evidence is the key. Funding may be available where a Fire Risk Appraisal of External Walls (FRAEW), undertaken by a suitably qualified and competent professional in accordance with PAS 9980:2022, identifies unsafe cladding that presents a serious, life-critical fire safety risk. Without that appraisal, there's no basis for an application.

What you need before you apply

Every application into the Cladding Safety Scheme for buildings under 11m requires a PAS 9980-compliant FRAEW to be completed first. There are three things this needs to satisfy:

1. PAS 9980:2022 compliance. The appraisal must be carried out in accordance with the published standard for assessing fire risk in external wall systems - this isn't optional, and it isn't something a generic building survey can substitute for.
2. A suitably qualified and competent assessor. The FRAEW needs to be undertaken by a professional recognised as competent to appraise external wall fire risk specifically, not just general building fire safety.
3. Evidence of serious, life-critical risk. The appraisal itself has to identify unsafe cladding that presents a genuine fire safety risk to occupants - this is what determines whether the building has a case for funding at all.

Eligibility criteria and the full application process are set out in the fund overview on the Cladding Safety Scheme pages, and align with the wider scheme's existing framework.

The window is open, but it's shorter than it looks

The application window runs for 8 weeks, opening 17 August 2026 and closing 9 October 2026. We're only a week into that window as things stand, which still leaves a reasonable runway but a FRAEW is not something to leave until week seven.

Commissioning a PAS 9980-compliant appraisal, having it carried out properly by a competent assessor, and getting the findings into a submission-ready application all takes time. The earlier eligible responsible entities get started, the more breathing room they'll have before the deadline, and the less risk of a rushed appraisal that doesn't hold up to scrutiny.

How Joule can help

We're a Homes England-approved provider of FRAEWs, and we're already supporting clients through this exact process - from the initial appraisal through to a submission-ready application for the Cladding Safety Scheme.

If your building could be eligible, or you're not yet sure whether it is, get in touch with our team. We can talk through what a FRAEW involves, how long it's likely to take for a building like yours, and what the application process looks like from here.