New online service to track remediation of high-risk buildings

A new service will allow leaseholders to track Building Safety Fund applications, exposing building owners who are failing to take action to fix their properties.

Residents of tower blocks will have access to online updates on the status of their building’s application to the government’s Building Safety Fund, under the new Leaseholder and Resident Service.

The service aims to force building owners to be more transparent and speed up the process of removing unsafe cladding.

Minister of State for Building Safety and Fire, Lord Greenhalgh, said: ‘It is unacceptable that four years after the Grenfell tragedy innocent leaseholders are still living in buildings with unsafe cladding. Building owners are responsible for making their building’s safe, and we will no longer allow them to shirk from their duties and hide behind processes and corporate loopholes.

‘Everyone – including leaseholders – has a right to know what is happening with their building and to live safely. Today’s launch is a key step in providing them with both the service and the peace of mind that they deserve.’

While the majority of building owners are already engaged with the Building Safety Fund, a £5.1 billion fund targeted at remediating unsafe non-ACM cladding on residential buildings 18m and over, a minority have yet to come forward and provide building information, leading to unnecessary delays and costs for innocent leaseholders.

Under this new service, a unique code will enable leaseholders and residents to track the progress of their building’s application through an online service, with information updated monthly. This will enable leaseholders to keep track of their building’s application and help apply pressure on their building owners if action is needed.

Kate Henderson, Chief Executive of the National Housing Federation, commented: ‘Greater transparency over the progress of Building Safety Fund applications is a positive move, providing welcome information to residents in buildings across the country who have been living with uncertainty about their safety and their future.

‘Housing associations are committed to working with the government to tackle the building safety crisis and support all efforts to protect leaseholders from costs.’

In related news, a new charter is set to give leaseholders in London greater consumer protection by setting good practice for service charges.

Photo by Hans Eiskonen