Residents’ fury over cladding battle
TRIBUNAL BATTLE WITH PROPERTY GIANT
A PROPERTY giant is dragging dozens of city centre residents through the courts to force £10,000 each out of them for the removal of dangerous Grenfell-style cladding.
One year on from the Grenfell tragedy, more than 300 leaseholders at Vallea Court and Cypress Place in the Green Quarter have been arguing their case at a tribunal after their freeholder, the investor Pemberstone, issued them with a demand for £3m out of the blue.
That was the result of investigations carried out in the wake of the London blaze, which found the same dangerously flammable material had been used on their blocks.
After the leaseholders refused to pay, Pemberstones launched legal action against them – which saw residents crowd-fund enough money to pay for legal advice, but still unable to fund a lawyer for the hearing.
Fran Reddington, 33, says the community has had no help from the council, the mayor’s office, the government or anyone else, adding that they have effectively been left to fend for themselves.
She said: “The hardest thing for us is that we have not really had any support from anybody.
“We got the official letters from the management company but then we got hit by these notices and we didn’t really know what to do.
“Luckily we have got quite a strong community and set up this Facebook group to see what we could do together. So that’s how we got the crowdfunding. We didn’t have the option of a lawyer though and just had to fight for ourselves.
“It’s so stressful and we’ve just been left. The worst thing is that we’re just being ignored.”
The two Green Quarter blocks, which are managed by Living City, were built by international development giant Lendlease. In recent years the freehold has been sold on to Pemberstone, a property investment giant that owns residential and commercial buildings across the country, which argues that under the terms of their leases the residents should pay for any remedial works themselves.
However, a copy of one introduction letter sent by Lendlease to a purchaser – who had bought their flat directly from them – states that ‘Lendlease will undertake, at our expense, to complete any accepted defect that has arisen as a result of either faulty materials or defective workmanship.’ Nevertheless while the buildings are understood to still be under warranty, residents have so far also been unable to claim costs for removing and replacing the cladding through insurance – and they say Lendlease has been silent on the issue. Leaseholders say they have no idea what will happen if they lose the tribunal and are left unable to pay the money. The tribunal is expected to take around six weeks to report back. A spokesman for Pemberstone said: “We believe an independent decision from a tribunal would be in the best interests for all concerned and should allow us to establish a clear way forward. Our property managers Livingcity are in regular contact with apartment owners and have been providing regular updates. “We regard the safety of the residents as of paramount importance and we are continuing to work with the technical teams to achieve the best possible solution.”
A spokesman for Lendlease said: “Safety is our top priority. We were not aware of the tribunal, until yesterday, and are now investigating these issues.”
A spokesman for the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government and Housing said: “Nothing is more important than keeping people safe. We have been clear we want to see private sector landlords do the morally right thing and not pass on the costs of essential cladding replacement to leaseholders. We are keeping the situation under review and have not ruled out any options.”
Coun Suzanne Richard, Manchester council’s executive member for housing and regeneration, said: “Issues around leaseholders being put in a position where they are picking up the financial burden for failed cladding are going to become more and more prevalent as private building owners try and offset the costs of remedial works.
“Of course, the safety of residents in high-rise properties is paramount, but leaseholders are being put in an unfair situation – potentially an untenable financial position – and I would urge government to provide some clarity around this growing problem.”
It’s so stressful and we’ve just been left. The worst thing is that we’re just being ignored Fran Reddington