Government Announces New £62.7m Interim Measures Alarm Fund — What It Means for Your Building

The Waking Watch Replacement Fund closed on 31st March 2026 after approving £71.7m in grants to 801 buildings across England. The very next day, on 2nd April 2026, the Government announced its immediate replacement: the £62.7 million Interim Measures Alarm Fund (IMAF). If your building is still running waking watch — or if you have been waiting to apply — this is what you need to know.

What Is the Interim Measures Alarm Fund?

The Interim Measures Alarm Fund is a new long-term government funding programme announced on 2nd April 2026 — the day after the previous Waking Watch Replacement Fund closed. It forms part of the Remediation Acceleration Plan — the Government's strategy for resolving the building safety crisis affecting thousands of residential buildings with unsafe cladding across England.

The new fund runs until 2035 and is administered by Homes England via the existing Cladding Safety Scheme platform. Applications are made online via Microsoft Forms — approximately 30 minutes. The application must be submitted by the Responsible Person or Responsible Entity; individual leaseholders cannot apply directly.

Supporting evidence must be emailed to IMAF@homesengland.gov.uk and must include a fire safety assessment or letter from a Competent Person confirming the need for an interim alarm system. Systems must meet BS 5839-1 Category L5.

Who Can Apply?

The Responsible Person or Responsible Entity for the building must make the application — not individual leaseholders. Eligibility criteria are broadly consistent with the previous Waking Watch Replacement Fund:

• The building is currently running waking watch as an interim fire safety measure
• The building is a residential block of flats in England
• The building is awaiting cladding remediation under the Building Safety Act or Cladding Safety Scheme
• The proposed fire alarm system will meet BS 5839-1 Category L5
• Application submitted by the Responsible Person via the IMAF online form

What Evidence Is Required?

The IMAF application requires supporting evidence from a Competent Person — a qualified fire safety professional who can confirm the need for an interim alarm system and specify the required system to BS 5839-1 Category L5. This evidence must be emailed to IMAF@homesengland.gov.uk alongside the online application.

Without this documentation, the application cannot proceed. Sysco Fire & Security are BAFE-certificated specialists. Our engineers can survey your building and provide the full Competent Person documentation — technical specification, signal strength assessment across every floor, and written supporting letter — within 48 hours of your site visit.

The System Standard: BS 5839-1 Category L5

All systems funded under the Interim Measures Alarm Fund must meet BS 5839-1 Category L5 — the standard required by government guidance and the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) for interim alarm systems replacing waking watch. This means a life protection system providing automatic fire detection and alarm throughout the entire building.

Sysco Fire & Security design and install all waking watch replacement systems to BS 5839-1 Category L5 as standard. Our BAFE Certificated engineers provide full compliance documentation at handover.

Sysco's Track Record in London

Sysco Fire & Security have completed four London waking watch replacement projects — Cannon Wharf SE8 (335 apartments, 9 buildings), Canada Water SE16 (143 apartments, 3 buildings), Tideslea Path Greenwich (76 apartments, 2 buildings) and Madison Canary Wharf E14 (90 apartments, 8 floors). All projects were delivered on time and certified on handover day. Waking watch was stood down on the day of commissioning in every case.

As a Cygnus Certified Partner and BAFE-certificated contractor, we provide the complete package — free site survey, full wireless site survey to assess signal strength and identify potential weak spots, Competent Person letter, BS 5839-1 compliant system design, installation, commissioning and certification. One contractor. Full accountability.

How to Apply — Key Steps