What is a duty holder?

The person or organisation with legal control of premises or work activity — often the employer, building owner, managing agent or Responsible Person, depending on the regulation.

What goes in a compliance evidence pack?

Statutory certificates (FRA, EICR, LRA, LOLER, PAT), the current risk assessment, remedial works records, contractor accreditations, and a compliance register with next-due dates.

How do I vet a compliance contractor?

Third-party accreditation (BAFE, NICEIC, LCA, SAFed), professional indemnity and public liability insurance, named engineer competence, and references for similar-scale sites.

Compliance learning hub

Compliance (general)

Cross-cutting guidance for property managers and duty holders: contractor procurement and vetting, evidence packs, insurance requirements and audit readiness across fire, water, lifts, electrical and HVAC.

In short

The duty holder is the person or organisation with legal control of premises or work activities. They must know their statutory duties, appoint competent contractors, and hold contemporaneous evidence of compliance. Insurers, mortgagees and enforcing authorities all inspect the same evidence pack.

Legal snapshot

What the law says

Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974: The overarching duty — reasonably practicable protection for employees and others.
Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999: Risk assessment, competent person appointments, emergency procedures.
CDM Regulations 2015: Duties on clients, principal designers and principal contractors for construction and refurbishment works.
Building Safety Act 2022: Accountable Person and Principal Accountable Person duties for higher-risk buildings.

On the ground

Common problems & fixes

No single evidence pack — records scattered across email
Fix, Centralised compliance register per building with dated certificates, next-due dates and named responsible person.
Contractor accreditations expired
Fix, Verify SafeContractor, CHAS or Constructionline status at PQQ stage and re-verify annually.
Insurance policy warranty on statutory maintenance breached
Fix, Match compliance frequencies to insurer wording; any deviation notified in writing before renewal.
Enforcement or improvement notice served on adjacent site
Fix, Treat as a self-audit trigger — the same enforcing officer will visit similar assets in the portfolio.

Pillar guide6 min read

UK Compliance Duty Holder Guide: Roles, Evidence & Enforcement

Who is the duty holder, what they must do, the evidence pack that satisfies insurers and enforcing authorities, and how enforcement action escalates.

Read the full guide

All compliance guides

1 guide

Cluster guides for this niche are publishing shortly. The pillar guide above covers the full duty-holder journey while we finish the deeper breakdowns.

FAQ

Frequently asked

What is a duty holder?: The person or organisation with legal control of premises or work activity — often the employer, building owner, managing agent or Responsible Person, depending on the regulation.
What goes in a compliance evidence pack?: Statutory certificates (FRA, EICR, LRA, LOLER, PAT), the current risk assessment, remedial works records, contractor accreditations, and a compliance register with next-due dates.
How do I vet a compliance contractor?: Third-party accreditation (BAFE, NICEIC, LCA, SAFed), professional indemnity and public liability insurance, named engineer competence, and references for similar-scale sites.

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