What your council's letter means, and what to do next.
Enter your code, confirm what we have filled in, and upload what you have. It is free for owners, because your council pays, and a complete fire safety record can help you sell and mortgage your building.
What your letter means
Why you got it.
Your council is collecting fire safety information about 11 m residential buildings: residential buildings whose top storey is more than 11 metres above the ground, with two or more homes. Its records show your building is one of them. Fire safety law adds duties for these buildings (Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 reg 10).
What you do.
Claim your building with the code. Confirm what we have filled in, answer the rest, and upload any documents you already have.
What it costs.
Nothing. Your council pays for Golden Ledger because it needs this information to keep residents safe. You can stop and come back at any time.
Do I have to?
Your council is asking so it can check fire safety in residential buildings in its area. Your own legal duties, such as keeping a suitable and sufficient fire risk assessment (Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 art. 9, checked on legislation.gov.uk on ), apply whether or not you use Golden Ledger. Using it is the simplest way to show your council what you already have.
Where your name came from.
Your name and address are on the HM Land Registry title register for this building, which names its registered owner. We tell you this because UK GDPR Article 14 asks us to. See our privacy notice.
If you are unsure.
Call your council on the phone number from its own website, not a number from a letter, email or text. It will confirm the letter came from it.
A complete fire safety record can help you sell and mortgage your building.
The law asks for this information so that residents are safe and firefighters know what they are walking into. It also helps you.
The papers buyers and lenders ask for.
Your fire risk assessment, a fire risk appraisal of the external walls (FRAEW) and an EWS1 form are among the papers a buyer's lender may ask for before lending on a flat in your building. Many lenders ask for an EWS1 form (EWS1 guide, checked on ).
Funding you may not know about.
As you answer, we show the government routes that may pay for cladding or alarm work, and who would apply.
The right thing to do.
Owners who send their information are doing what their residents would want, and showing their council that the building is looked after.
When you enter your code, we show you your building.
We show you your building's address, so you can see it is yours. If it is not yours, stop and call your council on the phone number from its own website. Only someone holding the letter can claim the building.
Eight stages, and your council has done the first two.
From the letter to an accepted submission. You start at stage 3.
- 01Your council finds your building
- 02You receive a letter
- 03You start hereStart hereYou enter your code
- 04You set up your company
- 05You answer the questions
- 06You send your full submission
- 07Your council reviews your submission
- 08Your submission is accepted
What you will need
You do not need everything at once. Answer what you can, upload what you have, and come back.
- Your company's details, if a company owns the building
- The building's height and number of storeys, if you know them
- What the external walls are made of, and any cladding
- Fire safety equipment and the evacuation strategy
- The latest fire risk assessment
- A fire risk appraisal of the external walls (FRAEW) or an EWS1 form, if you have one
- Details of any significant building works
A clear photo of a document, taken on your phone, is fine.
Who sees your answers
Your council sees every answer and document you send, and reviews each one. You cannot hold answers back from your council: that is how it can check your building.
If your company chooses to have its documents read for it, a Microsoft service in the UK reads each document and suggests answers. You check and confirm every answer before anything is sent.
With your consent, we use analytics and advertising cookies to understand how people use Golden Ledger and to reach councils and owners who may need it. We never share your answers, documents or building details with analytics or advertisers.
If your documents show work is needed
Golden Ledger does not enforce the law. Your record also shows which funding routes may apply, and many qualifying leaseholders are protected from the cost of cladding remediation (Building Safety Act 2022 s.122 and Schedule 8 para 8). Checked on legislation.gov.uk on .
Common situations
I am not the owner any more.
Enter the code, sign in, and choose Neither of these. Tell us who should receive the letter and we will look into it. Your code stays unused, and nobody gets access to the building.
A managing agent looks after the building.
Pass the letter to your agent. They can use the code to claim the building, choosing I manage this building for the owner, and set up their firm to look after it for you. Managing agents and portfolios
I own several buildings.
Use the code from each letter. Each building has its own code, so only the person holding that letter can claim it.
Got your letter to hand?
Enter the code printed on it to claim your building. It is free for owners, because your council pays.