After the Grenfell Tower fire in June 2017, building safety has been of significant public importance. As such, the Government introduced the Building Safety Scheme. This scheme had the aim of removing and replacing all unsafe cladding from high-rise residential buildings. The government pledged £1 billion in March 2020 and £3.5 billion in February 2021 to support the remediation of unsafe non-ACM (Aluminium Composite Material) from residential buildings of 18 metres and over. Now, the government has pledged further funds in the form of an agreement with developers. On 13 April 2022, the government announced it would raise up to £3 billion through a Building Safety Levy over the next ten years and developers will contribute a minimum of £2 billion. These funds will aid in the remediation of unsafe non-ACM cladding in buildings of 11 to 18 metres. This should ensure the development of high-rise residential buildings, even when those buildings developers cannot be found.

These remediation works were given legislative significance on 05 July 2021, when the Building Safety Bill was published. This Bill creates much wider liability for building owners, developers and manufacturers. It has recently been amended with the Building Safety Act 2022 coming into force on 28 June 2022. Michael Gove, then-Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, states that the aim of this Act is to ensure that those who profited, and continue to profit, from the sale of unsafe buildings and construction products must take full responsibility for their actions and pay to put things right. As such, leaseholders are now legally protected from bills which demand they pay to make their homes safe. This legislation, also, now applies to blocks of 11 metres and above.

For further information on this topic or on any other legal area, please contact John Szepietowski or Kay Stewart at Audley Chaucer Solicitors on 01372 303444 or email admin@audleychaucer.com or visit our Linkedin page.

 

John Szepietowski

 

This information was correct as at July 2022

Author John Szepietowski

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