Building Safety Act 2022 Calculator
Verify Section 119 qualifying leaseholder status, Schedule 8 cladding remediation liability caps (£0 / £10k / £15k), and statutory Landlord Certificate compliance deadlines.
Relevant Building Test (Section 117 BSA 2022)
Qualifying Leaseholder Test (Section 119)
Note: Once established on 14 Feb 2022, qualifying status permanently attaches to the lease and protects all future buyers.
Defect Category & Valuation (Schedule 8)
Developer Association & Landlord Certificate Audit
Under Schedule 8, paragraph 8 of the Building Safety Act 2022, qualifying leaseholders have complete statutory immunity from external wall cladding remediation costs. Your legal liability is strictly £0.00.
Required Conveyancing & Mortgage Documents
Finished your Building Safety Act Diligence Check? Run the Full 12-Point Due Diligence Dossier.
Individual checks only reveal one piece of the puzzle. Our comprehensive desktop baseline brief cross-references Environment Agency flood maps, British Geological Survey subsidence layers, UKHSA radon risks, Land Registry sold price comparables, and local planning buffers into one audit-ready brief.
Building Safety Act 2022 Guidance & Legal FAQs
Official statutory guidance referencing the Building Safety Act 2022, SI 2022/859, and DLUHC guidance notes.
Class MA Permitted Development: 2024 & 2026 Floorspace Limit Abolition Rules
On 5 March 2024, the UK Government officially abolished the restrictive 1,500 square metre floorspace limit under Statutory Instrument 2024/241 (The Town and Country Planning General Permitted Development England Amendment Order 2024). Under current Class MA regulations, commercial Class E buildings of ANY size (including multi-storey office blocks, department stores, and large business parks) can be converted into residential C3 dwellings via prior approval, without requiring a full planning application, provided all statutory prior approval conditions (adequate natural light, NDSS space standards, contamination, flood risk, and transport) are satisfied.
Is the Class MA 3-Month Vacancy Rule Still Required in England?
No. The statutory requirement for a building to have been vacant for at least 3 continuous months prior to submitting a Class MA prior approval application was permanently scrapped on 5 March 2024. Commercial property owners and landlords no longer need to evict paying tenants or leave premises deliberately empty to qualify for permitted development. However, the requirement that the property must have been in lawful Commercial, Business and Service (Class E) use for at least 2 continuous years immediately prior to the application date remains in full force.
Class MA Prior Approval: The Statutory 56-Day Deemed Approval Rule Explained
Under Paragraph W(11) of Schedule 2, Part 3 of the General Permitted Development Order 2015, the local planning authority has a strict statutory deadline of 56 calendar days (beginning on the day after the valid application was received) to determine a Class MA prior approval application. If the council fails to notify the applicant of its decision (grant, refuse, or formal written agreement to an extension of time) within that 56-day window, prior approval is legally deemed to be granted by operation of law, allowing the developer to proceed with the conversion.
Does Class MA Permitted Development Apply in Scotland? (Scottish Differences)
No. Class MA permitted development does NOT apply in Scotland. Class MA is an English statutory instrument enacted under the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) Order 2015. Scotland operates under a separate devolved planning regime governed by the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (Scotland) Order 1992 and National Planning Framework 4 (NPF4). In Scotland, converting commercial premises (such as offices, retail shops, or cafes) into residential flats always requires a Full Planning Application for change of use, subject to local Scottish planning authority policies.
Class MA & Nationally Described Space Standards: The 37 m² Minimum Rule
Under Article 3(9A) of the General Permitted Development Order, all residential dwellings created via Class MA permitted development MUST strictly comply with the Nationally Described Space Standards (NDSS). The absolute minimum legal Gross Internal Area (GIA) for any self-contained flat is 37 square metres for a 1-person, 1-storey studio flat with a shower room (or 39 square metres with a bathroom). Councils have a mandatory statutory duty to refuse prior approval if any single proposed flat falls even 0.5 m² below NDSS requirements. Micro-flats under 37 m² are illegal under Class MA.
Free Class MA Permitted Development Calculator Online UK
Our free online Class MA Permitted Development Calculator models commercial-to-residential conversion feasibility across England. Enter your commercial building's gross internal floor area, select proposed flat configurations (studios, 1-bed, 2-bed, 3-bed), and instantly verify statutory NDSS compliance. The calculator checks Article 4 Direction risks, calculates statutory council planning fees (£120 per home), computes Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) exemptions, and outputs an official 1-page A4 certified planning diligence brief.
Building Safety Act 2022 Statutory FAQs
Under Section 119 of the Building Safety Act 2022, a lease is a 'qualifying lease' if it meets four statutory criteria: (1) it is a long lease granted for more than 21 years of a single dwelling, (2) it was granted before 14 February 2022, (3) it is liable to pay a service charge, and (4) on 14 February 2022, the property was the leaseholder's only or principal home, OR the leaseholder owned no more than 3 UK residential properties in total on that date. Once qualifying status is established, it permanently attaches to the lease and transfers automatically to subsequent buyers.