Leaseholders call for Kingspan to pay for removal of Grenfell insulation from blocks

The inquiry has revealed that Kingspan began marketing its insulation for use on high rises in 2005, following a successful large-scale fire test. This only justified the product’s use in the specific system tested, but it was sold for much wider use, with the firm in some instances writing “letters of comfort” to developers assuring them the product was suitable.

In 2006, it changed the way it made K15 and when it ran new tests on systems involving the product in 2007, they failed, with an internal report branding one “a raging inferno” and noting that the insulation was “burning on its own steam”.

In October 2020, shortly before this was revealed by the inquiry, Kingspan withdrew the 2005 test report, which had been used on marketing literature for K15 since 2005, admitting that fire test information used was “not representative” of the product now on the market.

Lord Greenhalgh, the minister responsible for building safety, told MPs earlier this month that he would like to see product manufacturers contributing to the costs of fire safety remediation.

Ms Hills and fellow residents at Opus House face individual bills of around £150,000 for all fire safety defects to be remediated and the mounting costs have caused he significant personal distress.

“My mental health took a nosedive. I can’t sleep, can’t eat, can’t concentrate. I had to move out of the flat, which is now sitting empty. I am a solicitor and if I become bankrupt I will lose my license to practice,” she explained.

Steph Pike, a leaseholder at The Milliners building in Bristol, has urged Kingspan to cover costs for removal of the insulation.

Ms Pike bought her property in November 2017 – after the Grenfell Tower fire – and was told the building was safe.

She said: “I asked all the right questions about cladding and fire safety before I bought and I received assurances on those. Since our waking watch was installed in November 2020 it has been all-consuming. It has taken over my life and it has made me anxious. I’m not sleeping or working properly.”

There are 109 apartments at The Milliners building – an office-to-residential conversion – and leaseholders face a combined remediation bill of £7.6m, which does not include waking watch costs of £4,500 per week.

Ross Taylor is a leaseholder at The Pavillions in Tottenham Hale, where he faces a £50,000 bill for fire remediation costs including the removal of Kingspan K15 insulation.

The cladding system was signed off via a desktop study and, as a result, five of the six blocks on the north London development have K15 on them.

He said: “We wanted to start a family and would have moved out around 18 months ago but because of these crippling bills we can’t do that now. I’m really worried about the costs that are stacking up and how it affects our future.”

He added that Kingspan should pay.

Ms Hills and Mr Taylor are both awaiting a response about their applications to the £3.5bn Building Safety Fund, but they said if that fails they would consider legal action against Ireland-based Kingspan.

While the government has promised to cover costs of cladding remediation in buildings taller than 18m, this is likely to fall some way short of the full bill for making the blocks safe.

Ms Pike’s property received a rejection from the Building Safety Fund on the basis of height, despite the building being taller than 18m. The rejection is currently being appealed.

Ms Pike said she would also consider taking Kingspan to court. She said: “I have been focusing on other priorities so far but I would definitely consider legal action, especially if there was a class action.”