You Could Be Breaking the Law Just by Using Microsoft Teams

Before anyone panics—this applies specifically to UK businesses involved in the design, construction, and management of buildings. But that still includes a significant number of organisations.

Under the UK Building Safety Act 2022, duty holders such as clients, designers, contractors, and building owners or managers are legally required to retain all communications related to a building project, from initial design through to occupation and ongoing management. This continuous record is often referred to as the “golden thread” of information.

Importantly, the Act does not restrict retention to specific formats or roles. It explicitly includes examples such as:

• Emails
• Letters
• Meeting minutes
• Resident engagement communications
• Reports
• Change orders

The scope is broad, and the penalties for non-compliance are severe, including unlimited fines and up to two years’ imprisonment.

Why Microsoft Teams Could Be a Risk

Historically, Microsoft Teams was used primarily for internal communication. But today, it’s common to have Teams chats with: external parties, consultants, contractors, clients, and more.

Here’s the problem: if the host of a Teams thread removes you, you may lose access to the conversation history, including critical decisions and agreements. That means your organisation could fail to meet its legal obligation to retain a complete record of communications.

How CloudFiler Solves This

To address this risk, CloudFiler is introducing a new feature that allows you to file individual Teams messages or conversation threads to the relevant project. As participants continue posting, the entire thread is captured and stored—ensuring compliance with the Building Safety Act.

Many already know CloudFiler as one of the few email management tools offering deep content search and filing across all devices, including support for New Outlook. This new Teams integration strengthens your ability to:

• Maintain a secure and complete communication record
• Protect your business from future litigation
• Stay compliant with evolving safety regulations