http://www.legislation.gov.uk/asc/2026/5/section/8Building Safety (Wales) Act 2026enStatute Law Database2026-06-22Expert Participation2026-04-28 PART 1CHAPTER 2 8 1 This section sets out the meaning of “accountable person” for a regulated building for the purposes of this Act. 2 An accountable person for a building is— a a person who holds a legal estate in possession in the common parts of the building or any part of them, unless subsection (3) applies, or b a person who does not hold a legal estate in any part of the building but who is under a relevant repairing obligation in relation to the common parts of the building or any part of them. This subsection is subject to subsection (6) (special rule for commonhold land). 3 A person (“the estate owner”) who holds a legal estate in possession in the common parts of a building or any part of them (“the relevant common parts”) is not an accountable person for the building by virtue of subsection (2)(a) if— a each long lease under which the estate owner is landlord provides that a particular person, who does not hold a legal estate in any part of the building, is under a relevant repairing obligation in relation to all of the relevant common parts, or b all repairing obligations relating to the relevant common parts which would otherwise be obligations of the estate owner are functions of an RTM company. 4 Subsection (5) applies if— a a tenant under a lease holds a legal estate in possession in the common parts of a building or any part of them (“the relevant common parts”), and b a landlord under the lease is under a relevant repairing obligation in relation to any of the relevant common parts. 5 For the purposes of this section and section 9 (meaning of “principal accountable person”)— a the legal estate in possession in so much of the relevant common parts as are within subsection (4)(b) is treated as held by the landlord (instead of the tenant), and b if (and so far as) the landlord’s actual legal estate in those common parts is held under a lease, the legal estate in possession mentioned in paragraph (a) is treated as held under that lease (and, accordingly, subsection (4) and this subsection may apply in relation to it). 6 If a building is on commonhold land, the commonhold association is the accountable person for the building. S. 8 in force at 28.4.2026, see s. 138(1)(a)