Cladding scandal solution falls short

Hopes of a complete solution to the cladding crisis faded as Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick unveiled his latest plan this week.

While it promises to help those in blocks of flats 18m high and over by funding all costs of cladding remediation, innocent leaseholders in lower level apartment blocks will be lumbered with a government loan, which will see them paying up to £50 per month.

Meanwhile, the cost of solving other historic fire safety issues, such as poor-performing fire doors and alarms and insufficient fire breaks also look set to fall on all leaseholders who are already paying sky-high bills for insurance and waking watch fire patrols.

Selling is no escape as there are few cash buyers and getting a mortgage for these problem apartments is nigh on impossible.

In Robert Jenrick’s Pollyanna forecast of events, building freeholders will pay for new fire breaks, fire doors and alarms etc, even though many of the leasehold contracts they issue say otherwise.

He also thinks that insurance companies will play fair and cut premiums and mortgage lenders will start lending on the blighted apartments.

The Yorkshire Post reader David Byrne has another idea. He says: “Having worked on major and critical construction projects for 30 years, Grenfell etc appears to be a classic case of a failure to implement rigorous statutory and engineering standards.” He suggests that negligence charges could be levelled at local authorities, solicitors, lenders and surveyors.

Sharon Dale, Property editor

Email: sharon.dale @ypn.co.uk

Twitter: @propertywords