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Accountable Person Responsibilities
Clear, plain-English guidance on AP responsibilities and managing building safety risks
The Accountable Person (AP) role applies to occupied Higher-Risk Buildings and focuses on the ongoing management of building safety risks for the parts of the building an organisation or individual controls.
An Accountable Person is responsible for understanding what could realistically go wrong and being able to evidence how those risks are controlled.
This guidance explains what the AP role means in practice, what responsibilities apply, and what good safety management looks like day to day.
What is an Accountable Person
An Accountable Person is a person or organisation that holds a legal interest in, or has a relevant repairing obligation for, any part of the common parts of an occupied Higher-Risk Building.
Common parts typically include the structure and exterior of the building and shared areas such as corridors, staircases, lobbies, risers, and plant spaces.
A building may have one or multiple Accountable Persons, depending on ownership and repairing obligations.
What an Accountable Person is responsible for
Accountable Person duties focus on managing the building safety risks they control.
The two key risks are:
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The spread of fire
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Structural failure
In practical terms, an Accountable Person should be able to answer:
What could realistically go wrong, and how do we know it is being controlled?
What managing building safety risks looks like in practice
Day-to-day AP responsibilities include:
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Understanding the building and its safety-critical features
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Identifying systems and elements that must not be compromised
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Ensuring inspections, maintenance, and testing are planned and evidenced
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Acting on findings and closing out issues with evidence
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Cooperating with other Accountable Persons and the PAP
The goal is not volume of paperwork. The goal is traceability and confidence.
What records an Accountable Person typically controls
Examples of records commonly held by Accountable Persons include:
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Asset and systems lists for safety-critical elements
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Inspection and maintenance records
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Issue logs and action trackers with clear ownership
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Records of significant changes that could affect safety
These records form part of the wider golden thread information set for the building.
Working with the PAP and others
Where there is more than one Accountable Person, cooperation is essential.
Accountable Persons manage their parts of the building.
The Principal Accountable Person ensures those parts connect into a coherent whole.
Clear interfaces and shared understanding reduce risk and support confident regulatory engagement.
Download the PAP and AP roles guide
The Roles of a Principal Accountable Person, Accountable Person, and Dutyholders guide provides:
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Plain-English explanations of AP responsibilities
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How AP duties differ from PAP and dutyholder roles
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Practical examples of managing building safety risks
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What good evidence looks like in practice
Our approach
NBR guides are published to support clarity, consistency, and confidence across the property sector.
They reflect publicly available legislation and statutory guidance and are intended to support understanding and good practice. They are not legal advice and should always be read alongside the latest guidance published by the Building Safety Regulator and GOV.UK.
Where risks are understood, controls are evidenced, and information is current, the AP role becomes manageable rather than overwhelming.
More building safety guidance
Explore our full Knowledge Hub for guidance on Principal Accountable Person duties, Safety Cases, the Golden Thread, and managing building safety risks.
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