What the golden thread is
The golden thread is the accurate, up-to-date record of a higher-risk building: how it was designed, built and changed, and how it is kept safe. The Building Safety Act 2022 requires it to be kept, and the Building Safety Regulator oversees it.
Which buildings it covers
In England, occupied higher-risk buildings are those at least 18 metres high or with at least 7 storeys, with at least two residential units. Check the regulator’s own guidance for your buildings, because the detail matters.
What the information has to be
- Accurate and up to date. Changed whenever the building or its safety measures change.
- Digital. Held electronically, not in a filing cabinet.
- Secure. Protected from loss and from changes nobody can trace.
- Accessible. Available to the people who need it, when they need it.
- Traceable. Clear who added or changed what, and when.
Where maintenance companies come in
The accountable person for the building owns the golden thread. If you maintain the building, much of what goes into it comes from you: what was inspected, what was found, what was fixed, and the certificates that prove it.
- Certificates for fire alarms, emergency lighting, lifts, electrics and gas, with their expiry dates.
- A record of every job on the building’s safety systems, with who did it and when.
- Remedial work, from being found to being closed.
- Asset records that match what is actually installed.
Why spreadsheets make this hard
A golden thread kept in email attachments and shared drives is rarely accurate and never traceable. When the accountable person asks what was done, the answer should take minutes to find, not a day.