Social housing providers have acted to protect residents. While some private landlords are doing the same, there is a significant issue with private landlords who are reluctant to act, are passing charges onto leaseholders, or sometimes cannot be identified.
Key messages
- We welcome the steps that have been taken to date to address dangerous cladding and other fire safety issues, including the ban on combustible cladding. The Government needs to act with urgency to deliver protections for residents in dangerous buildings.
- Social housing providers have acted to protect residents. While some private landlords are doing the same, there is a significant issue with private landlords who are reluctant to act, are passing charges onto leaseholders, or sometimes cannot be identified.
- The Government needs to address the problems facing leaseholders in privately owned blocks who are being told that they are liable for the cost of remediation and the costs of interim fire safety measures. Leaseholders are in no way to blame for this problem and the Government must intervene to cover the costs and pursue those who are responsible.
- The LGA has pushed for action to identify and remediate other dangerous forms of cladding. The Government has taken some positive steps to achieve this, but more needs to be done. If other forms of cladding are shown not to comply with building regulations, the problems facing leaseholders in blocks with Aluminium Composite Material (ACM) cladding will almost certainly extend to leaseholders in other blocks.
Download the full briefing
Government funding for the removal of cladding from privately owned high-rise blocks, House of Commons, 29 April 2019