Building Safety Levy is an Anti-Growth Policy
March 25, 2025
The Government has released its response to the Building Safety Levy (BSL) consultation, confirming the taxation levels it seeks to impose across the development industry.
Richard Beresford, Chief Executive of the National Federation of Builders, said:
“The Building Safety Levy is anti-growth, anti-SME policy, which will weaken the housebuilding industry and put the Government’s 1.5 million home promise in further jeopardy. It rejects the polluter pays principle, targeting innocent housebuilders, and risking unintended consequences, such as shrinking the size of new build homes.
The industry already knew that the Conservative government had chosen to tax innocent housebuilders while letting guilty parties off the hook. We had hoped that Labour, the Government of growth, would reject such a bad policy that hinders industry growth, but instead it choose proportionate unfairness.”
The BSL will come into force in Autumn 2026 with levy rates charged per square-metre of chargeable floorspace for works on non-previously developed land (PDL) and works on previously developed land. PDL rates are discounted by 50%.
Rates are highest in areas with the most expensive housing and lowest in the least expensive.
Several BSL exemptions will be in place, including for government funded projects and sites of fewer than ten homes.
Rico Wojtulewicz, Head of Policy and Market Insight at the NFB and House Builders Association (HBA), commented:
“Small builders came to the Government with a solution that shared remediation costs across all accountable industries, as well as delivered a ‘polluters should pay more’ principle. It is devastating news that a fairer form of unfairness has been rejected.
Our solution would raise funds more quickly, therefore freeing leaseholders of their nightmare. Would not disproportionately target innocent builders and building companies yet to be created. Ensured that SMEs, who train 73% of our apprentices, offer the most secure employment, who were not involved in various industry scandals, and who build the social and affordable housing the Government is basing its reputation on, were not being targeted for the sake of political expedience.”
You May Also Enjoy
Property sitting on the market? Experts reveal top tips to unlocking property sales
Many homeowners understand the frustration of properties sitting on the market for extended periods of time with no sale on the horizon. Leading estate agency group, Beresfords, has released advice to help sellers take control of their sales journey. With the average time from initial marketing through to a successfully agreed offer now standing at…
Read More 
Demand for Coastal Living Remains Remarkably Resilient
Coastal house prices fall by as much as 38%, but seaside hotspots still command premiums of up to 76% The latest research by Yopa has revealed that house prices across some of the nation’s most popular seaside hotspots have fallen by as much as -38% over the last year. However, many continue to command…
Read More 
Buyer demand bounces back after May heatwave
New real-time analysis from the UK’s largest property platform Rightmove reveals that buyer demand has bounced back after a temporary dip due to the May heatwave during the school holidays Starting on May 22nd, buyer demand dropped by 8% over the course of the heatwave week, as potential buyers held off from booking viewings to…
Read More 
Breaking Property News 11/6/26
Daily bite-sized proptech and property news in partnership with Proptech-X. Leasing decisioning platform set to scale with new injection of investment Findigs, the AI-native leasing decisioning platform that helps residential operators across the U.S. improve revenue and grow their bottom line, announced that it closed a $32 million Series C funding round led by…
Read More 
Cost of void periods climbs by as much as 53% for landlords
Landlords face growing pressure on profits as the cost of void periods climbs by as much as 53%. The latest research by property management specialist, Rushbrook & Rathbone, has found that the average cost to landlords as a result of void periods between tenancies has climbed by as much as 52.9% across some areas…
Read More 
Lack of Supply Keeps Upward Pressure on Rents
More ‘affordable’ areas see rents rise two times faster than the national average Rents are rising 5% on average in more affordable areas where rents are below £750pcm – over twice the national average of 2.1% Regionally, Carlisle (+9.1%), Kilmarnock (+9%) and Halifax (+6.5%) are among the fastest-rising markets where rents are rising quickly…
Read More