Oral Answers to Questions

Fleur Anderson Excerpts

Monday 29th November 2021 Commons Chamber

The Secretary of State was asked—

[Fleur Anderson (Putney) (Lab)]

1. What steps he is taking to protect leaseholders from the costs of fire safety remediation.

[Marsha De Cordova (Battersea) (Lab)]

15. What steps he is taking to protect leaseholders from the costs of fire safety remediation.

[The Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (Michael Gove)]

I have enormous sympathy with leaseholders who are being landed with bills for faults for which they were not responsible and for which the responsibility for remediation truly lies elsewhere. I and my Department are looking at every available means to ensure that the burden is lifted from leaseholders’ shoulders and placed where it truly belongs.

[Fleur Anderson]

I am glad to hear that response. Hundreds of Putney leaseholders are facing agonising waits to get funding through the building safety fund. People in the Radial development have been waiting for 16 months, people in Hardwicks Square have been waiting for 17 months and those in the Swish building have been stuck at stage 2 for 11 months. Meanwhile, one constituent is paying more than £4,000 in insurance for a two-bedroom flat following a 500% hike, which is not unusual. What is the Minister doing urgently to speed up and simplify the building safety fund application process and also to prevent insurers from cashing in?

[Michael Gove]

As the hon. Lady rightly points out, leaseholders find themselves caught in an invidious vice, whereby they are not only having to pay remediation costs, but also find that insurance costs and the capacity to sell on their flat are compromised by the situation in which we find ourselves. Making sure that individuals are in safe buildings is our first responsibility, and to do that we must make sure that the building safety fund pays out and that we get support for remediation from those in the private sector, who also have a share of responsibility. I hope to update the House on our plans shortly.