Building Safety in Property Management: Turning Regulation Into Reality

Opinion
Written By POD

Quarterly Leadership Spotlight:

Simon Sharpe, Head of Building and Operational Safety

This month, we talked to Simon Sharpe, Head of Building and Operational Safety at POD Management. Simon leads POD’s building and operational safety approach across a complex residential portfolio, helping to turn evolving regulation into practical, day-to-day processes.

“Building safety in property management has become increasingly complex. As legislation and regulatory expectations continue to evolve, property managers need to understand not only what the latest requirements mean, but how to translate them into effective, everyday practices that protect residents, teams and buildings.

Recent developments in fire safety legislation are just one example of how the regulatory landscape continues to change. While staying informed about new requirements is essential, compliance alone does not always mean a building is being managed safely. The real challenge is turning regulation into action.

For me, effective building safety in property management comes down to understanding what the requirements mean in practice, ensuring responsibilities are clear, and making sure safety remains embedded in the way buildings are managed every day.”

From legislation to practical action

“Legislation provides the framework for building safety, but property management teams have an important role in bringing those requirements to life. Regulations, guidance and statutory responsibilities can be complex, particularly when managing different types of buildings and working with multiple stakeholders. 

Every building is different. Its construction, age, use, occupancy, systems and history can all affect the risks that need to be considered.

This is where professional property management expertise becomes particularly important. Translating regulatory requirements into practical processes, communicating them effectively and coordinating the right people are all part of managing a building responsibly.”

Understanding who is responsible

One of the most important aspects is having a clear understanding of responsibility. Residential buildings can involve freeholders, developers, managing agents, contractors, consultants, residents and other stakeholders. Each can have different responsibilities, and those responsibilities need to be understood and managed effectively.

Clear accountability helps prevent gaps from appearing between different parties. It also means that when an issue is identified, people know who needs to take action and how that action should be followed through.

For property managers, this often means acting as the link between different stakeholders, making sure information is shared, actions are understood and appropriate steps are taken. It is not simply about knowing who is responsible for something on paper. It is about making sure that responsibility translates into action.

Keeping people informed

Good communication is another important part of building safety. Property managers need to communicate with a wide range of people, from clients and contractors to residents and internal teams. 

This is particularly important when regulations or building safety requirements change. Technical information can quickly become confusing if it is not explained in a practical way.

For residents, clear communication can also encourage greater engagement with safety. Whether that means understanding fire safety procedures, reporting concerns or knowing why access may be required for inspections or works, people are more likely to engage when they understand what is being asked of them and why.

At POD, we see communication as an important part of responsible property management.

Managing safety across complex buildings

The complexity of modern residential buildings means that building safety cannot be viewed as a single responsibility. Property management companies may be coordinating multiple contractors, overseeing different areas of a building, responding to resident concerns and ensuring that information is recorded and shared appropriately.

This requires robust processes, but it also requires judgement and experience. A good property management team needs to understand when an issue requires further investigation, when specialist advice is needed and how different risks may interact. 

This is where building safety in property management moves beyond compliance. The objective isn't simply to demonstrate that a requirement has been considered, but to create a clear and accountable approach to managing safety across the life of a building.

How POD puts building safety into practice

At POD, building safety is integrated into the wider property management service rather than treated as a standalone responsibility. 

In practice, this means focusing on:

  • Clear responsibility mapping and escalation routes

  • Audit-ready record keeping and contractor coordination

  • Practical resident communications around access and safety actions

Our teams work across complex residential portfolios, bringing together property management, health and safety processes, contractor relationships and communication with clients and residents. 

For us, effective building safety means having the right processes in place, but also having knowledgeable people who understand how those processes need to work in practice.

It means keeping up to date with regulatory changes, ensuring responsibilities are understood and working collaboratively with the people involved in managing and maintaining each building.

Our approach to health and safety has also been independently recognised through the British Safety Council's Sword of Honour, which reflects the systems, standards and safety culture established across the business.

For me, recognition like this is valuable because it demonstrates that safety is not simply something we talk about. It is something that needs to be reflected in how we operate every day.

Staying ahead of inevitable change

The regulatory environment will continue to evolve, and property management companies need to be prepared to adapt. Recent changes relating to fire safety demonstrate the importance of keeping up to date with new requirements and understanding how they affect the buildings and communities being managed. 

The real value comes from being able to interpret those changes, communicate them effectively and incorporate them into existing processes.

What does good building safety look like?

Ultimately, good building safety in property management is about bringing together legislation, expertise, communication and accountability. It means understanding the requirements that apply to a building, knowing who is responsible for each aspect of safety, communicating clearly with stakeholders and ensuring that actions are properly managed. Understanding the rules is one thing, but making sure they work in the real world is the most important aspect.

That is where professional property management can make a genuine difference. By combining technical knowledge with strong communication, clear accountability and practical experience, property management teams can help ensure that safety remains at the heart of how buildings are managed.

At POD, we believe that effective building safety is ultimately about more than compliance. It is about creating safer buildings, supporting the people who live and work in them, and giving clients confidence that safety is being managed with the care, knowledge and expertise it deserves.

Contact POD Management

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