Homeowners remain trapped in unsellable flats despite new efforts to tackle mortgage crisis on cladding-hit blocks
Many cladding-hit homeowners will remain trapped in unsellable flats despite new efforts to unblock the mortgage crisis affecting them, campaigners have warned. They described the new guidance to help with the valuation of cladding-hit flats as ‘well-meaning’. But they went on to say that they had ‘serious concerns’ about […]Click here to view original web…
Landlord writes to Gove as bankruptcy looms over ‘arbitrary’ cladding rules
A landlord who’s facing bankruptcy has written to Housing Secretary Michael Gove voicing his frustration that he is not eligible for any cladding funding despite only earning £63 a week from his properties. The landlord, who has BTL interest-only mortgages, has two freehold semi-detached houses and three leasehold apartments, […] Click here to view original…
Fire chiefs call for second staircases in new high rise flats
Developer Ballymore withdrew an application earlier this year to build a 51-storey block of luxury flats in Canary Wharf after fire brigade concerns about the number of stairwells In England, there is currently no maximum height for residential buildings with only one staircase. Since Grenfell, some planning authorities have […] Click here to view original…
The case for multiple staircases in new high-rise buildings
Gavin Tomlinson is chief fire officer at Derbyshire FRS, and chair of the protection and business safety committee at the NFCC In the past three years, there have been 154 fires in London where more than 10 people evacuated a high-rise block of flats. It is time to start […] Click here to view original…
Consultation begins on way to pay for dangerous cladding removal
previous next The government has launched a consultation on the proposed Building Safety Levy, which will pay for the removal of dangerous cladding on blocks of flats. The levy is being introduced in the wake of the Grenfell Tower tragedy . Thousands of leaseholders have been stuck, unable to […] Click here to view original…
The UK Government Must Scrap its Dysfunctional ‘Waterfall Model’ & Adopt a Safety-First Approach to Cladding Remediation
The Building Safety Act (BSA), designed to deal with the ongoing cladding crisis which has plagued the country since the Grenfell Tower tragedy in 2017, has sadly fallen short of its goal – largely due to the inclusion of the ‘waterfall model’. As many readers will know, the UK […] Click here to view original…
Government gives £8m for councils’ cladding enforcement teams
A tower block in Leamington with its cladding removed as a precaution following the Grenfell Tower disaster. (Photo: Gary Hider | Dreamstime.com) The government has set aside £8m more in funding for council enforcement teams to hold building owners to account for cladding repairs on high-rise properties. The Department […] Click here to view original…
Councils given extra funding in crackdown on unsafe cladding
Listen to this article here Local authorities across the UK have been awarded over £8 million to support enforcement teams to pursue building owners yet to replace of unsafe cladding. Councils with higher proportions of tall buildings, particularly in Greater Manchester, Greater London and the West Midlands, have been […] Click here to view original…
Repairs bills — the next storm brewing for leaseholders
Leaseholders are being hit with huge unexpected bills for repairs to their housing blocks as critics warn that the whole system is broken and needs radical reform. Hot on the heels of the cladding crisis, which is forcing people to find life-changing sums to make their high-rise flats safe, […] Click here to view original…
Repairs bills — the next storm brewing for leaseholders
Leaseholders are being hit with huge unexpected bills for repairs to their housing blocks as critics warn that the whole system is broken and needs radical reform. Hot on the heels of the cladding crisis, which is forcing people to find life-changing sums to make their high-rise flats safe, […] Click here to view original…
Cladding crisis: Flats still ‘unsellable’ despite new valuation rules, say owners
Many cladding-hit homeowners will remain trapped in unsellable flats despite new efforts to unblock the mortgage crisis affecting them, campaigners have warned. They described the new guidance to help with the valuation of cladding-hit flats as ‘well-meaning’. But they went on to say that they had ‘serious concerns’ about […] Click here to view original…
Developer Settles £4.8M Suit Over Grenfell-Style Cladding
Stay ahead of the curve In the legal profession, information is the key to success. You have to know what’s happening with clients, competitors, practice areas, and industries. Law360 provides the intelligence you need to remain an expert and beat the competition. Access to case data within articles (numbers, […] Click here to view original…