The 2025 Regulations amended building control regulations, introduced new completion notice requirements, revised notice requirements for compliance declarations, and established procedures for handling serious contraventions.

The Building Regulations etc. (Amendment) (England) Regulations 2025 amend the Building (Registered Building Control Approvers etc.) (England) Regulations 2024 and the Building Regulations 2010, primarily focusing on improving building safety and compliance procedures.

Key changes include revised notice requirements for completed building works, stricter reporting for when clients cannot provide statements from contractors or designers, and clarifying procedures for handling contraventions.

The regulations also prescribe cases where the Building Safety Regulator must provide copies of serious contravention orders to local authorities.

Transitional provisions ensure the amendments don't retrospectively apply to notices issued before the regulations' effective date.

The 2025 regulations amended the Housing Benefit Regulations 2006 to simplify the habitual residence assessment for housing benefit claimants already receiving universal credit.

The Housing Benefit (Habitual Residence) (Amendment) Regulations 2025, effective October 21, 2025, amend the 2006 Housing Benefit Regulations.

Specifically, they remove the habitual residence assessment for housing benefit applicants already receiving Universal Credit.

This simplification streamlines the application process by relying on the existing Universal Credit determination of habitual residence.

The 2025 regulations amended eligibility criteria for housing and homelessness assistance in the UK, prioritizing British nationals returning from government-advised evacuations.

These regulations amend existing UK legislation to ensure that British nationals returning from government-advised evacuations are eligible for housing and homelessness assistance in England, Scotland, and Northern Ireland.

The amendments waive the habitual residence test for a six-month period following evacuation, allowing immediate access to housing for those who meet specific criteria defined by the regulations.

These criteria include possessing leave to enter or remain in the UK, not being subject to a 'no recourse to public funds' condition, and not being sponsored under certain visa schemes

Designated specific rural areas and regions in England under the Housing Act 1985's right-to-buy provisions, enabling the imposition of covenants or right of first refusal.

This Order, effective August 2nd, 2025, designates specific parishes in Colchester and East Hampshire as rural areas under the Housing Act 1985's right-to-buy scheme.

It also designates Colchester and East Hampshire as regions for the scheme's application in those parishes.

The order enables the imposition of covenants or rights of first refusal on sold properties to potentially preserve affordable housing.

An impact assessment was deemed unnecessary due to a lack of anticipated significant effects on public or private sectors.

The 2025 regulations established requirements for person-centred fire risk assessments, residential evacuation plans, and building-level emergency evacuation plans for high-rise residential buildings in England, involving information sharing with fire services and adherence to data protection legislation.

These regulations mandate personal and building emergency evacuation plans for high-rise residential buildings in England.

They require responsible persons to identify residents with disabilities affecting evacuation, conduct person-centred fire risk assessments, implement mitigating measures, and create evacuation plans, also sharing information with local fire and rescue authorities.

The regulations include provisions for regular reviews and emphasize data protection compliance.

The 2025 regulations prevented English local housing authorities from using local connection criteria when allocating housing to victims of domestic abuse and care leavers.

These regulations, effective July 10, 2025, prohibit English local housing authorities from using local connection criteria when allocating housing to victims of domestic abuse and care leavers.

The regulations define 'domestic abuse' according to the Domestic Abuse Act 2021 and specify 'eligible', 'relevant', and 'former relevant children' by referencing the Children Act 1989.

The aim is to improve housing access for these vulnerable groups.

The Manston Airport Development Consent Order 2022 was amended to extend the compulsory land acquisition time limit from one to five years.

The Manston Airport Development Consent (Amendment) Order 2025 amends the 2022 order to extend the time limit for compulsory land acquisition from one to five years.

This amendment, made under the Planning Act 2008, addresses potential delays in the airport development project.

The order was signed by Kayla Marks, Head of the Transport and Works Act Orders Unit at the Department for Transport, on May 19, 2025 and comes into effect May 20, 2025.

The 2025 Order transferred responsibilities for fire and rescue services from the Home Secretary to the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, along with related assets and ongoing processes.

The Transfer of Functions (Fire and Rescue Services) Order 2025 transfers the responsibility for fire and rescue services from the Home Secretary to the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, effective June 3, 2025.

This includes the transfer of all associated property, rights, liabilities, and ongoing processes.

The order clarifies the effective continuation of any ongoing actions and the use of existing documentation after this transfer of responsibilities.

Existing legislation is adjusted to reflect these changes, and the order makes clear that nothing in this order interferes with the activities of the devolved nations.