Couple trapped in flat waiting for fire safety form that could take ‘years’ to come
A couple expecting a baby are trapped in their East London flat because their housing association cannot produce the fire safety certificate now required by many lenders to offer a mortgage on homes in multi-storey buildings. Siobhan Frost and her partner have been warned by their housing association Peabody […] Click here to view original…
Law Commission reports offer blueprint to demolish monetising landlordism in residential leasehold
The Law Commission today publishes three reports proposing reforms to the leasehold system and its complete replacement with a revived commonhold tenure, on the statute book since 2002 but ignored by the commercial interests in the sector. Coupled with the Government’s commitment to set new ground rents to zero […] Click here to view original…
Post-Grenfell building safety reforms published
The government has published a series of proposals to improve building safety and give residents and leaseholders greater say and control in the costs they will face. Three years after the Grenfell Tower tragedy, a consultation also seeks views on implementing the recommendations from the resulting enquiry which looks […] Click here to view original…
Explained: The Draft Building Safety Bill
The government is bringing forward changes that will improve building and fire safety, so that people will be, and will feel, safer in their homes. Background The government is bringing forward fundamental changes in the Draft Building Safety Bill that will improve building and fire safety, so that people […] Click here to view original…
Leaseholders billed up to £115,000 each to remove Grenfell-style cladding
Leaseholders in a “tinderbox” apartment block in Manchester have been billed up to £115,000 each to remove unsafe cladding in what is believed to be the biggest charge facing residents since the Grenfell disaster. Owners of flats in Connect House, in the city’s trendy Ancoats district, said they face […] Click here to view original…
Combustible cladding survey highlights ongoing issues in multi-occupancy buildings
THE HOUSING, Communities and Local Government Committee in Parliament has published the findings of a survey into the progress of remediation work designed to improve fire safety in residential buildings. The survey highlights significant ongoing fire safety issues in multi-occupancy buildings across the country, leaving residents facing bills of […] Click here to view original…
Cladding prisoners: The homeowners who the stamp duty cut won’t help make a move as unsafe materials mean banks won’t lend to buyers
The recent cut in stamp duty could help boost the property market amid the coronavirus pandemic – but there are a slice of homeowners who are unable to take advantage due to unsafe cladding. They have been unable to sell their homes due to the flammable materials used on […] Click here to view original…
My family died in Grenfell Tower fire tragedy – now I’m terrified for others living in deathtraps they can’t sell
EVERY time Nabil Choucair shuts his eyes, he’s haunted by the image of his family’s home – a flat on the 22nd floor of Grenfell Tower – going up in flames. Nabil, 46, lost his mother, sister, brother-in-law and his three young nieces aged 13, 10 and three in […] Click here to view original…
Shadow cabinet members meet with local councillors after concerns about cladded high rise buildings
(5) SAFETY of residents should be prioritised over headline grabbing news said members of the shadow cabinet who met with local councillors after it was revealed student accommodation — including The Cube — was barred from a new £1.6 billion Government fund to remove cladding from high-rise buildings. A […] Click here to view original…
New campaign group formed to represent property owners with ‘Grenfell style’ high-rise cladding
A new campaign group has been set up to ‘give voice’ to people in Scotland affected by a combination of UK and Scottish law which has left thousands of people across the country unable to sell their property. The High Rise Scotland Action Group (HRSAG) will represent residents, owners […] Click here to view original…
Barratt discovers structural design defects at seven developments
Housebuilder Barratt has revealed seven of its developments built over 10 years ago have structural design defects which will cost around £70m to remediate In its latest trading statement, the housebuilder provided an update following the conclusion of investigations into structural issues at a legacy development – Citiscape in […] Click here to view original…
Why the Jenrick saga has dented faith in the planning system
Public support for housing development is dependent on the perception of fairness and impartiality To get to the essence of what’s wrong with Robert Jenrick’s handling of the 1,500-home Westferry Printworks scheme, you have to first ignore accusations by Labour MPs – scenting blood – that developer Richard Desmond […] Click here to view original…