What is the difference between the dutyholder, the accountable person, the principal accountable person and the responsible person under Part 4 of the Building Safety Act 2022?

The ‘dutyholder’ is the generic term often used to describe the persons responsible for carrying out a specific duty at a particular phase in the lifecycle of a higher-risk building (HRB) under the Building Safety Act 2022 (BSA 2022) and its related, subordinate legislation. In the context of BSA 2022, Pt 4, which contains the provisions relating to the management of building safety risks in occupied residential HRBs in England, the term ‘dutyholder’ will generally refer to the accountable person, the principal accountable person or the responsible person (see below).

The ‘Accountable Person’ (AP) is either the person who, under a lease or by virtue of legislation, is obligated to repair or maintain the common parts of a HRB or, where there is no-one under such an obligation, the person who owns the common parts (subject to further conditions and criteria) (BSA 2022, s 72).

The AP can be an individual, a partnership, a corporate