Leaseholders still living in buildings with serious fire defects, parliamentary survey says
Many leaseholders are stuck with bills of thousands of pounds for fire safety defects in their buildings almost three years on from the Grenfell disaster, a parliamentary committee survey has indicated.
Some 70 per cent of respondents to the survey said they were still trapped with flammable cladding and a significant number highlighted serious fire defects not covered by existing government funds, the Housing,
Communities and Local Government Committee (HCLGC) said.
These included missing or inadequate fire breaks (highlighted by 34 per cent of respondents), combustible or missing insulation (30 per cent), timber balconies or walkways (14 per cent) and inadequate fire doors (5 per cent).
Other large costs included 24-hour fire patrols and higher insurance premiums, while lenders valuing properties at zero had led to lost sales and problems remortgaging, the survey noted.
“What we have heard is not encouraging and it appears that much more will need to be done if people are to feel safe in their homes, and no longer face the stress of large bills to resolve issues not of their making,” Clive Betts MP, the Committee chairman, said.
“The Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee will continue to hold the government and industry to account while the issues remain widespread.”
The survey, carried out by the HCLGC, had 1,352 respondents.
