Part 4: Higher-risk buildings Meaning of "Accountable Person" and other key definitions Section 72: Meaning of "Accountable Person" etc Background
This is a new provision.
	The Independent Review identified that there should be a clear dutyholder during occupation who can be held to account and will have statutory obligations to maintain the fire and structural safety of the building. Building ownership in the UK is complex and the definition has been devised to ensure that the right person is defined as the Accountable Person according to their obligations that have been demised under concepts in property law.
Example
From commencement of this part of the Act, the Accountable Person(s) will be defined as such and therefore responsible for the statutory obligations under the building safety regime. This will in the main be the freeholder of the property, but in the case where the interest of the building has been demised to other lessees, and they retain the obligation to repair and maintain a common part as defined in this section, the definition will also make those persons Accountable Persons. This will include individuals, investment companies, local authorities and housing associations. In the future the Government may take the decision to widen the scope of the regime and the Secretary of State will, by regulations change the definition to identify the appropriate Accountable Person for those new buildings brought into the scope of the Building Safety Regime.