You are viewing 1 of your 1 free articles
Lords back amendment to ban leaseholders paying for fire safety costs
The House of Lords has passed three amendments to the Fire Safety Bill which include banning leaseholders from being forced to pay fire safety remediation costs and implementing recommendations from Grenfell Tower Inquiry phase one report.
Peers voted 269-250 in favour of the amendments to the Fire Safety Bill which also included the creation of a public registers for fire safety, similar to the Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) register for prospective renters, leaseholders and owners.
The amendments were narrowly pushed through the house following support from Labour and Liberal Democrat peers.
Liberal Democrat peer Baroness Pinnock tabled an amendment that aims to “prohibit the owner of the building from passing the cost of any remedial work” to leaseholders, except where the leaseholder is the owner of the building.
The peer also put forward the amendment to “establish the provision, in law, of a public register of fire risk assessments”.
READ MORE
Commenting on the results of the vote, Baroness Pinnock said: “Currently freeholders are passing on the remediation costs needed following the Grenfell tragedy, leaving many with the choice of either facing bankruptcy as they’re forced to pay huge fees, or selling their home for a lot less value due to the work needing to be done.
“The vote today has seen not only the Liberal Democrats’ plans to ban these outrageous costs succeed, but so have the party’s plans to introduce a register to ensure homes receive a fire safety rating to introduce desperately needed accountability and transparency into the system.”
The bill will now go back to the House of Commons where MPs previously voted down an amendment to implement recommendations from the Grenfell Inquiry phase one report.
Labour peers tabled the amendment which seeks to introduce recommendations from the Grenfell Inquiry phase one report, including requirements for managers to share information with local fire and rescue services about design and the materials of external walls, undertake regular inspections of flat doors and lifts and share evacuation instructions with residents of the building.
Sarah Jones, shadow minister for policing and fire, said: “The choice for the government is now a simple one – support fire safety measures that it agreed to implement over a year ago, or continue to break a solemn promise to take action following the Grenfell Inquiry.”
