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    This page contains answers to frequently asked questions and advice for the public and members regarding transfer slabs in tall buildings.

    The below link provides guidance from the government for principle accountable persons and building owners with respect to a potential structural safety issue affecting reinforced concrete buildings with ‘transfer slabs’.

    Health and Safety Executive, Potential risks from transfer slabs in buildings - view on GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

    Transfer slabs: statement from the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors

    7 January 2026

    The Government wrote to principal accountable persons and building owners about potential risks from transfer slabs in buildings on 19 December 2025.

    Transfer slabs are a floor arrangement where a column sits on top of a reinforced concrete slab without a supporting column directly underneath. The Institution of Structural Engineers published guidance in November 2024 to address the lack of industry-wide guidance covering their design.

    The Government has subsequently issued this correspondence highlighting specific concern about “punching shear in transfer slabs”. While the Government is not aware of any building collapse caused by this in the UK, there is concern about the risk of a failure mechanism causing partial building collapse.

    The Government is currently recommending that where there are visible signs of distress, building owners should seek professional advice. RICS recommends the Institution of Structural Engineers are contacted for suitable competent engineers.

    The Building Safety Regulator commissioned research in late 2024 in order to establish structural risk, which is ongoing with MHCLG. Further advice is anticipated in due course, and building owners should remain informed.

    FAQs

    The Institution of Structural Engineers, as the primary professional body in the UK for qualified structural engineers i.e. the professionals who would usually design such buildings, advise there was a gap in the standards and guidance for engineers around this issue.

    Further research is being undertaken by Government, and this page will be updated as more information becomes available.

    If a PAP or building owner becomes aware of a transfer slab issue, then they should contact the buildings insurers in accordance with the terms of the policy.

    It is too early at this stage for RICS to assess the impact this may have, and we will update this page in due course. If remediation is costly, then there may be an impact.

    RICS advises that in any tall building where there is a possibility of a reinforced concrete transfer slab, the services of a specialist structural engineer conversant with this problem should be appointed for further advice.

    Members can also contact knowledge@rics.org to provide feedback on issues they come across.

    Page last updated: 07 January 2026