Asked by: Kelly Tolhurst (Conservative - Rochester and Strood)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what estimate his Department has made of the number of leaseholders in buildings under 18 metres high having to pay for remediation works, despite the Government issuing a recommendation that EWS1 forms should not be required for those buildings.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
The Department does not hold this information. An independent expert statement in July this year was clear that there is no systemic risk of fire in residential buildings under 18 metres and that EWS1s should not be required by lenders on buildings under 18 metres. The Government strongly supports this position and made this clear in its written statement of 21 July. Existing EWS1 assessments of buildings under 18 metres should be reviewed to ensure that proportionate risk management and mitigation has been considered before committing to remediation, and the Building Owner should share that information with the leaseholders.
Asked by: Kelly Tolhurst (Conservative - Rochester and Strood)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment his Department has made of the prevalence of banks refusing mortgages on properties affected by cladding related issues until remedial works are completed.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
The Government is aware of anecdotal reports of lenders requesting remediation to be completed prior to lending. The Department does not support this approach and is of the firm view that a clear financing plan for remediation, including Government grant funding, removes the financial risk to lenders and should enable mortgage lending to progress.
Asked by: Kelly Tolhurst (Conservative - Rochester and Strood)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, when his Department plans to publish the guidance for loans taken out by leaseholders living in blocks affected by cladding-related issues.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
We realise the need to get unsafe cladding remediated as swiftly as possible as public safety is our first priority. We will make further details of the financing scheme available as soon as possible.
Asked by: Kelly Tolhurst (Conservative - Rochester and Strood)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department plans to take to ensure that loans taken out by leaseholders living in blocks affected by cladding-related issues are capped at £50 per month for repayments.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
The Government is providing grants for the removal of unsafe cladding systems from residential buildings over 18 metres. In lower rise buildings of 11-18 metres, with a lower risk to safety, leaseholders will gain new protection from the costs of cladding removal through a financing scheme that will limit repayments so that leaseholders will never pay more than £50 a month. We are developing the details to ensure it protects leaseholders, prioritising affordability and accelerating remediation where required. Further details of the financing scheme will be available as soon as possible.
Asked by: Kelly Tolhurst (Conservative - Rochester and Strood)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to support leaseholders in buildings with dangerous cladding in Rochester and Strood Constituency.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
The Government is providing further grant funding of £3.5 billion in addition to the £1.6 billion already provided to fund the removal of unsafe cladding systems from residential buildings of 18 metres and over in England. We are also providing expert construction consultation support to actively engage with those planning and undertaking remediation work being funded by the Government to increase the pace of remediation. In addition to this, the Government is providing a £30 million Waking Watch Relief Fund to pay for the costs of installing an alarm system in high rise buildings with unsafe cladding. Common alarm systems will enable costly waking watch measures to be replaced in buildings waiting to have unsafe cladding removed.
The Government has recently announced a generous financing scheme which will mean that buildings of 11-18 metres in height will be able to make use of finance for the remediation of unsafe cladding, with a commitment that leaseholders will not need to pay more than £50 a month towards this. By providing this financing scheme we are ensuring that money is available for remediation, accelerating the process and making homes safer as quickly as possible. We are developing the underpinning details to ensure it protects leaseholders, prioritising affordability and accelerating remediation where required and we will release further information on this financing scheme as soon as we can.
However, Government funding and other support does not absolve industry from responsibility and taking action. We expect developers, investors and building owners to cover remediation costs themselves, meeting their legal and contractual obligations, recovering costs or drawing on warranties where applicable, without passing on costs to leaseholders. This is happening in over half of all private sector high-rise residential buildings with unsafe Aluminium Composite Material (ACM) cladding systems.