Recommendations & Conclusions
9 items
3
Conclusion
Seventh Report - Building Safety: Remed…
Accepted
The Secretary of State said the Government would protect leaseholders from remediation costs, but too many leaseholders will fall through the cracks of the Government’s piecemeal measures. As the Government’s proposals currently stand, the only leaseholders who will not pay for building safety remediation are those who have already not …
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The Secretary of State said the Government would protect leaseholders from remediation costs, but too many leaseholders will fall through the cracks of the Government’s piecemeal measures. As the Government’s proposals currently stand, the only leaseholders who will not pay for building safety remediation are those who have already not paid anything, who either live in their flats or only own one other property, whose flats do not also have any non-cladding defects, and whose flats are in blocks at least 11m high.
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Government response AI summary
The government states that they have delivered robust protections for leaseholders and outlines these protections in detail.
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Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
4
Conclusion
Seventh Report - Building Safety: Remed…
Accepted
Leaseholders are no more to blame for non-cladding defects than they are for faulty cladding on homes they bought in good faith. Buy-to-let landlords are no more to blame than other leaseholders for historic building safety defects, and landing them with potentially unaffordable bills will only slow down or prevent …
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Leaseholders are no more to blame for non-cladding defects than they are for faulty cladding on homes they bought in good faith. Buy-to-let landlords are no more to blame than other leaseholders for historic building safety defects, and landing them with potentially unaffordable bills will only slow down or prevent works to make buildings safe. Leaseholders of buildings under 11m in height are no more to blame than other leaseholders.
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Government response AI summary
The government states it has already delivered robust protections for leaseholders, reversing the presumption that they are responsible for historical building safety defects.
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Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
7
Conclusion
Seventh Report - Building Safety: Remed…
Accepted
Our preferred option would be for the Government to table amendments to the Building Safety Bill to ensure that all leaseholders in buildings of any height have statutory protection from future costs for remediating historic building safety defects, both cladding and non-cladding.
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Our preferred option would be for the Government to table amendments to the Building Safety Bill to ensure that all leaseholders in buildings of any height have statutory protection from future costs for remediating historic building safety defects, both cladding and non-cladding.
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Government response AI summary
The government believes there is no systemic fire safety issue in buildings below 11 metres and that leaseholders in these buildings have access to protections through warranties and redress measures introduced through the Building Safety Act.
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Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
9
Recommendation
Seventh Report - Building Safety: Remed…
Accepted
It is completely unacceptable that, nearly five years after the Grenfell tragedy, the Government still does not seem to know how many buildings have unsafe cladding or other historic building safety defects. We commend the Secretary of State for finally seeking information from developers and manufacturers, and commend industry for …
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It is completely unacceptable that, nearly five years after the Grenfell tragedy, the Government still does not seem to know how many buildings have unsafe cladding or other historic building safety defects. We commend the Secretary of State for finally seeking information from developers and manufacturers, and commend industry for now working at pace to provide this information. The Government must publish, within two months, all available data on the number of buildings of all heights with historic building safety defects—cladding and non-cladding—including data it has received from developers and manufacturers. (Paragraph 21) Who should pay?
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Government response AI summary
The government states it is committed to publishing information in data releases as soon as it is appropriate to do so and currently publishes monthly data on progress with remediation of unsafe ACM cladding, quarterly updates on Building Safety Fund funding, and monthly data related …
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Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
10
Recommendation
Seventh Report - Building Safety: Remed…
Accepted
We commend the Government for finally taking action to require industry players to remediate and pay for faults of their own doing, and we commend those organisations who have already done so. However, developers and manufacturers are not the only sectors that contributed to the building safety crisis, and we …
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We commend the Government for finally taking action to require industry players to remediate and pay for faults of their own doing, and we commend those organisations who have already done so. However, developers and manufacturers are not the only sectors that contributed to the building safety crisis, and we appreciate the Secretary of State’s openness to pursuing other sectors. The whole industry must take collective responsibility for remediation funding: while some organisations may feel they are more innocent than others, no party in this crisis is more innocent than the leaseholders whom such funding is supposed to protect. Government should identify all relevant parties who played a role in the building safety crisis, such as product suppliers, installers, contractors, and subcontractors. It should legally require them, as it has done for developers, to (i) contribute payment to put right any individual faults in which they played a part and (ii) contribute to collective funding for building safety remediation—ideally our recommended Comprehensive Building Safety Fund. So that efforts to identify responsible parties do not delay remediation works, the Government should, where necessary, fund works upfront and recoup its costs.
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Government response AI summary
The government agrees that those responsible should contribute to remediation costs and will hold construction product manufacturers accountable, using powers in the Building Safety Act and pursuing firms through the courts. They will continue to fund cladding remediation through the Building Safety Fund for buildings …
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Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
13
Conclusion
Seventh Report - Building Safety: Remed…
Accepted
Product manufacturers found to have been criminally responsible for defective products extending back 30 years must be legally required to automatically replace faulty materials free of charge, including compensating others who have already paid to replace the materials in question.
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Product manufacturers found to have been criminally responsible for defective products extending back 30 years must be legally required to automatically replace faulty materials free of charge, including compensating others who have already paid to replace the materials in question.
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Government response AI summary
The government states that the Building Safety Act introduces provisions for construction products companies to contribute to remediation costs, including a new cause of action and powers to make costs contribution orders, and that it is establishing a Recovery Unit to pursue firms that have …
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Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
14
Recommendation
Seventh Report - Building Safety: Remed…
Accepted
The Government rightly proposes to take strong action against UK firms, however its options against overseas firms who have also contributed to the building safety crisis are more limited. The Secretary of State told us that to reveal its options would be showing too much of the Government’s hand. The …
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The Government rightly proposes to take strong action against UK firms, however its options against overseas firms who have also contributed to the building safety crisis are more limited. The Secretary of State told us that to reveal its options would be showing too much of the Government’s hand. The Government must take steps to hold overseas developers and other relevant foreign firms to account. When it is appropriate to do so, the Government should set out the actions it has taken. (Paragraph 33) Costs already paid out
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Government response AI summary
The government states they are already engaging with overseas developers and firms to provide a funded solution for the remediation of unsafe cladding. They also point to the powers in the Building Safety Act 2022 that allow the Secretary of State to prohibit developers from …
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Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
17
Recommendation
Seventh Report - Building Safety: Remed…
Accepted
The Government must stop pitting the building safety crisis against the housing crisis. Without access to funds for remediation where social tenants live, residents of social housing are paying the price through the diversion of funds from maintaining their homes and other vital services provided by housing associations and councils. …
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The Government must stop pitting the building safety crisis against the housing crisis. Without access to funds for remediation where social tenants live, residents of social housing are paying the price through the diversion of funds from maintaining their homes and other vital services provided by housing associations and councils. Those on waiting lists and those who are homeless are paying the price through the decimation of planned new builds for affordable homes, with one in 10 planned developments axed. The principle that a leaseholder should be protected from costs, while a tenant, perhaps a neighbour in the same block, should contribute through their rent, is deeply unfair. Social landlords must have full access to funds for building safety remediation—ideally our recommended Comprehensive Building Safety Fund.
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Government response AI summary
The Government states that social housing providers have access to the £400m Social Sector ACM Cladding Remediation Fund and were eligible for the Building Safety Fund for other combustible cladding types and can submit claims to the Building Safety Fund for the proportion of eligible …
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Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
19
Recommendation
Seventh Report - Building Safety: Remed…
Accepted
The Government must commit to protecting the Affordable Homes Programme at its current level should it fail to recover sufficient funds from industry. (Paragraph 51) Guidance on building safety
Government response AI summary
The Government is confident that funding from industry will cover the cost of remediation of unsafe cladding in buildings between 11-18 metres and will not be required to provide additional funding beyond that which it has already committed.
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Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government