Report a dangerous building
Dangerous buildings and structures
A dangerous building or structure can be anything on or near a building or structure that may be a danger to people.
The most common causes of dangerous structures are:
- loose or falling roof tiles
- walls or fences that are in danger of collapse
- unstable chimneys
- removal of lateral restraint to walls
- failure of over-stressed piers
- inadequate support to chimney breasts
- filling flues with concrete
- using existing brick walls as permanent shuttering to new concrete work
- sheeted scaffolds acting as sails in strong winds and pulling down the wall to which the scaffolding is attached
- undermining of foundations, usually by underpinning which is badly designed and/or poorly sequenced
- overloading of floors by builders materials
- roof 'spreading' or collapsing due to the new coverings being too heavy for the structure to sustain
- larger buildings that become unstable
Report a dangerous structure
You can report a Dangerous Structure using the below form:
If the Dangerous Structure requires immediate attention then you can contact us:
- Between the hours of 8.30am to 10.30am Monday to Friday to the Building Control team on 020 8708 2529.
- Between the hours of 10.30am to 6pm Monday to Friday to the Customer Contact Centre on 020 8554 5000.
- Out of hours between 6pm and 8.30am Monday to Sunday to our Out of Hours Unit on 020 8708 5897.
Building Control surveyors are on call 24 hours a day, every day of the year to give immediate attention to dangerous structures.
Costs
The owner of any building that becomes dangerous is responsible for all the costs involved in making the building safe. If we are unable to contact the owner at the time and the building needs to be made safe, we may carry out the emergency work and claim the costs back from the owner.
Working with the emergency services
We are often contacted by the emergency services for advice and help in dealing with dangerous structures following a fire, explosion, road accidents, unexpected weather conditions affecting a construction site, or the sudden collapse of buildings.
If we have to take action - dangerous structure notice
If a property is in a dangerous condition but is not considered an immediate danger, a formal dangerous structure notice may be served giving reasonable time to respond and offer a point of contact for further guidance.
If we have to take emergency action to remove or secure a dangerous structure then we will recover costs from the owner.
If minor defects are found we will usually offer informal advice on the best way of dealing with the problem without charge.
