Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what discussions has his Department had with mortgage lenders on accidental landlords. those home-owners who are unable to sell their homes due to cladding issues which prevent them from obtaining a favourable EWS1 certificate.

On 15 July, the largest mortgage lenders confirmed that, subject to their normal policy requirements, they will be able to lend on any property that is part of a developer or government remediation scheme or properties that are protected by the new statutory protections, as evidenced by a qualifying lease certificate.

We continue to work with, and meet, lenders regularly to ensure the operationalisation of these changes. As a result, we expect the challenges faced by those struggling to buy and sell, including for those in flats where remediation has not yet begun, will be eased.

The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors is to shortly publish new guidance for valuers. This will support the valuation of property subject to building safety remediation and will reflect the leaseholder protections stemming from the Building Safety Act.