More flat owners to be protected from cladding repair bills

More flat owners facing big bills to fix dangerous cladding and other fire safety defects will be protected from the costs, under new measures announced by the government today, and the firms that made unsafe products will be made to pay more.

The proposals were unveiled in Parliament during the second reading of the Remediation of Unsafe Cladding Bill, which aims to get unsafe buildings fixed faster and put tougher consequences on those responsible if they fail to act.

Closing the gaps

Existing rules already protect many leaseholders from paying to fix historic building safety problems. But some people still fall through gaps because of the way their homes are owned, leaving them at risk of paying for problems they did not cause. The government wants to narrow those gaps for three groups.

The first is people who bought a flat as their only home but miss out because of the circumstances of a previous owner. At the moment, whether a flat is protected can depend on who owned it on 14 February 2022, so someone who bought it later as their main home can still be left exposed.

The second is leaseholders in buildings that are collectively owned or enfranchised, where residents have bought the freehold together. Because there is no separate freeholder, they are not covered by the Building Safety Act's protections and can face some of the biggest bills. New government funding will help pay for high-risk, high-cost internal fire safety work in these buildings.

The third is people with several properties. Protection currently generally covers those who owned no more than three properties on that date. The government plans to raise the limit to six, so people who owned four to six properties will be protected from having non-cladding safety costs passed on to them.

Making manufacturers pay

For the first time, the government will have the powers it needs to recover contributions, at scale, from construction product manufacturers linked to historic unsafe cladding and insulation. A new scheme will make them contribute towards the cost of putting affected buildings right.

The Bill will also place a legal duty on those responsible to fix unsafe buildings. Those who fail to act could face criminal penalties and fines of up to £500,000, and authorities will be able to step in and get the work done when owners consistently refuse.

"The safety and security they deserve"

Building Safety Minister Baroness Blake said: "We are going further to protect more homeowners from unfair costs and make construction product manufacturers contribute towards putting things right."

"Alongside new powers to force those responsible to fix unsafe buildings, these measures will help give residents the safety and security they deserve."

What happens next

Building safety has been a national concern since the Grenfell Tower fire in 2017, and Birmingham has its share of high-rise blocks. Further details of who will qualify, how much funding will be available and how the manufacturers' scheme will work are due to be added to the Bill as it passes through Parliament.