I haven’t seen a thread about this on mumsnet so I thought I would start one. Sorry, it's a long one.
The UK cladding scandal has come about as a result of fire safety remediation on tower blocks following the Grenfell Tower tragedy 3 1/2 years ago. Action is certainly needed to ensure this never happens again, but the reality of new regulation is that leaseholders are being asked to pay unaffordable amounts to fix these historic issues.
The name ‘Cladding Scandal’ is misleading, it is more than just cladding: it’s missing fire breaks, flammable insulation, wooden balconies… Much of the time breaking building safety regulations even at the time of building.
Tower blocks now require a survey (EWS1) to determine whether or not it is safe, if it fails then it has to resolve the issues which led to its failure.
-A ‘Waking Watch’ is often required, a corridor patrol who are on the look out for fire, this is temporary until the issues are permanently fixed. The cost of this ‘Waking Watch’ is charged back to the leaseholder.
-The flats are unsellable, valued at £0 given they are declared unsafe and mortgage lenders will not lend on them. And who would buy a flat when they are potentially going to be landed with a bill in the tens of thousands of pounds even if they had the cash and a mortgage wasn’t required?
-Owners mortgage rates are going up. As above, mortgage lenders will not lend on these flats, meaning owners are stuck on the mortgage product they are on, if their fixed term runs out they are automatically switched onto a higher interest rate and can do nothing about it.
-Buildings insurance is sky rocketing e.g. one building went from £39,000 to £191,000. This cost is charged back to the leaseholder.
-The cost remediation such as replacing cladding is often in the region of £30,000 per flat, and has been a high as £150,000 per flat. This cost is charged back to the leaseholder.
-While this is all going on they leaseholder has the mental burden of impending financial problems, but also the fear of living in an unsafe property.
-It often takes a long time for the issues to be fixed due to limited numbers of experts available, until then you are stuck, and life on hold.
Why should the leaseholder pay when they are not the ones at fault. Leaseholders did not build the building, leaseholders did not select the materials used, and leaseholders did not certify the building as safe. We bought these homes in good faith.
Read Hayley’s story here - www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2021/jan/22/experience-my-dream-flat-became-a-nightmare?CMP=fb_gu&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook&fbclid=IwAR1henQwM0siOphZyX9fHN1SmxyraMCj06BCXjs3iLTtvJEF00sSn9wxRRA#Echobox=1611310575
Sympathy is no good to leaseholders like myself, we need people to be aware and act. Compel their MP to support us in actions and not just words.