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Manchester leaseholders accuse Jenrick of ignoring them as £25,000 cladding payment deadline looms
Leaseholders living in a block wrapped in combustible high-pressure laminate (HPL) cladding have criticised the government for ignoring them as they face a payment deadline for a fire safety remediation bill that could cost residents up to £25,000 each.
One resident of Skyline Central 1 in Manchester, which has been found to have numerous fire safety issues, criticised housing secretary Robert Jenrick for ignoring the block’s leaseholders, despite him asking them to write to him when he took up his post.
The resident said that Mr Jenrick replied to the leaseholders on Twitter last year (below) asking them to contact him, but that he has since ignored multiple letters and requests for a meeting in Manchester or Westminster from the group.
Could I trouble you to email me on jenrickr@parliament.uk
— Robert Jenrick (@RobertJenrick)
Best wishes RobertCould I trouble you to email me on jenrickr@parliament.uk
— Robert Jenrick (@RobertJenrick) July 25, 2019
Best wishes Robert
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government told Inside Housing that it had responded to a letter in November sent by campaigning group Manchester Cladiators regarding a number of blocks including Skyline Central 1.
Last year, residents of Skyline Central 1 were hit with bills of between £15,000 and £25,000 each to pay for fire safety remediation works. These works were called for after it was discovered that the block contained HPL cladding and combustible insulation, as well as missing fire breaks.
Today leaseholders must decide whether to sign up for a loan agreement with freeholder Adriatic Land, which would see them pay the money interest-free over a five-year period. If residents do not agree to the deal, they will be required to pay the total costs in full by the end of the month.
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However, multiple residents have told Inside Housing that they are unhappy with the amount of time Adriatic Land gave them to consider and sign up to the loan agreements, having only been provided with the documents shortly before Christmas.
Another leaseholder, whose loan repayments will amount to £320 per month, said they have signed up to the agreement because they have “no choice”.
“Unless you’ve got £15,000-£25,000 sat there in your bank doing absolutely nothing and you’re able to pay it, you either sign up to this agreement or you lose your house,” they said.
The leaseholders are calling on the government to set up a fund to assist with the removal of HPL cladding, similar to the one already set up for the removal of aluminium composite material (ACM) cladding, which was the type used on the Grenfell Tower.
The government has previously said that HPL cladding when used with combustible insulation must be removed, but that it is down to building owners to remove it.
In November, residents were forced to evacuate an HPL-clad student accommodation block in Bolton after it was hit by a devastating fire.
One Skyline Central 1 resident said: “There are thousands of blocks across the country that have got HPL on and they’re all going to experience exactly the same.
“I think we’re probably one of the first who actually had to sign up for a payment plan to pay for it but this is going to be widespread across the country.”
A spokesperson for HomeGround, which acts on behalf of Adriatic Land, said: “Our priority is to ensure that residents are kept safe in their own homes but we are very conscious that the cost of remediation is a significant financial burden for homeowners, so we are doing everything in our power to reduce these costs.
“This includes providing forward funding for the work, offering interest-free payment plans to owner-occupiers and engaging with HMRC to request a concession for VAT purposes.
“We are sympathetic to residents being left with the cost of remediation in this case, where the building does not qualify for funding under the government’s cladding remediation fund.
“There is no justification for the government to only fund ACM remediation for high-rise buildings when government accepts the evidence that other forms of combustible cladding also need to be removed, and that significant numbers of buildings under 18m in height are affected by these issues.”
An MHCLG spokesperson said: “Residents’ safety is the government’s priority and we have repeatedly made clear that building owners must ensure their residents are safe in their homes.
“This means all cladding systems, including high-pressure laminate, that do not conform to our strict building safety standards must be removed, and building owners should do all they can to protect leaseholders from costs.”
Update: at 13.39 10/01/20 This story was updated to include a response from an MHCLG spokersperson which said Mr Jenrick had responded to a letter from the campaigning group Manchester Cladiators in November.
