Higher-risk buildings & housing
Evidence that meets the duty.
The Building Safety Act and Awaab's Law turned building condition from a maintenance question into a legal one. Ovrsite gives housing providers and HRB dutyholders the independent, dated, located evidence those duties demand.
01The landscape
Three obligations, one source of evidence.
Golden Thread
Higher-risk buildings need a secure, digital, accessible record of safety information across the building's life. In force since 1 October 2023.
Awaab's Law
In force from 27 October 2025. Social landlords must investigate damp and mould hazards within strict timescales and act on emergencies fast.
External walls
PAS 9980 sets the method for a fire risk appraisal of external walls. Condition evidence supports FRAEW and EWS decisions.
02Plain answers
What the rules actually require.
What is a higher-risk building?
Under the Building Safety Act 2022, a higher-risk building is one at least 18 metres tall or with at least 7 storeys, containing at least two residential units. Registration with the Building Safety Regulator is a precondition to occupation.
What is the Golden Thread?
It is a secure, digital record of the information needed to understand a higher-risk building and keep it safe, maintained across design, construction and occupation. It must be accurate, current and accessible to those who need it.
What does Awaab's Law require?
From 27 October 2025, social landlords must investigate a reported damp or mould hazard within 14 calendar days, provide a written summary of findings within a further 3 days, and address emergency repairs within 24 hours.
03How Ovrsite helps
Condition evidence that does three jobs at once.
One envelope capture feeds your Golden Thread, your damp and mould response, and your external wall evidence. The findings are dated, located and graded, so when a regulator or a resident's solicitor asks what you knew and when, the answer is on file. A wet thermal signature on an elevation can point to the moisture path behind a mould complaint, often before it is visible inside the home.
- Structured, dated condition records for the Golden Thread
- Thermal evidence of moisture paths behind damp and mould
- Facade imagery to support FRAEW and EWS work
- Whole-stock inspections without scaffold or resident disruption
- One consistent record across hundreds of homes
Higher-risk buildings, answered
The Golden Thread is about holding accurate, current, accessible safety information. Structured, dated, located condition data from an inspection is exactly the kind of record it is meant to contain. Ovrsite produces it in a form you can hold and hand over.
Yes. Radiometric thermal imaging can reveal trapped moisture and cold bridges behind a damp or mould complaint, often before damage is visible inside. That gives you early, objective evidence to investigate within the required timescales.
Yes. Drone capture means the external envelope is inspected without scaffold and with minimal disruption to residents. Internal investigation, where needed, is scoped from what the thermal and visual data points to.
No. EWS1 is a mortgage valuation tool used by lenders, not a regulatory requirement. A PAS 9980 appraisal can justify an EWS decision. Our facade evidence supports that appraisal rather than replacing the assessor.
Hold the evidence before you are asked.
Tell us about your stock. We will fly one block, return dated and located findings in Atlas, and show you the Golden Thread evidence it produces.