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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 31 January 2020 to Question 8382 on Buildings: Fire Prevention, whether an additional fund will be made available to leaseholders in buildings whose homes are currently unmortgageable as a result of the presence of (a) ACM cladding and (b) exterior cladding systems not yet tested by the owner of those buildings.

Government has committed £600 million to remediate high-rise residential buildings with unsafe ACM cladding. This Government intervention is wholly exceptional. It is based on the unparalleled fire risk ACM poses at this height.

Building safety is the responsibility of the building owner, and they must remedy any safety risks. Building owners should consider all routes to meet costs, protecting leaseholders where they can – for example through warranties and recovering costs from contractors for poor work.

However, we do not want the cost to be a barrier to remediation, so the Department is considering options to support leaseholders with Her Majesty’s Treasury. Building Owners should be transparent about any remediation plans with lenders and managing agents.