Developers in England must pay to fix unsafe cladding under new laws
Ministers have outlined further details on how the government intends to make developers and manufacturers in the housing industry in England shoulder the costs of replacing dangerous cladding in an effort to protect leaseholders.
The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities said under the plans developers and manufacturers could effectively be blocked from the housing market if they did not help fix cladding safety issues.
It said the changes would put into law a commitment to protect leaseholders living in medium- or high-rise buildings from having to pay anything for the removal of unsafe cladding.
The government said that if the changes became law it would hugely reduce invoices sent to leaseholders for taking down cladding, which in some cases have exceeded £100,000.
Outlining the plans on Monday, the government said it would go further to protect leaseholders by limiting how much they can be asked to pay for non-cladding costs, such as charges for “waking watches” to patrol sites – with some building owners and developers set to pick up the cost.
The proposed changes, to be introduced through amendments to the building safety bill making its way through parliament, will also allow building owners and landlords to take legal action against manufacturers who used defective products on a home that has since been found unfit for habitation, the government said, adding the power would stretch back 30 years and allow recovery where costs have already been paid out.
In a bid to ensure that manufacturers found guilty of misconduct are also charged to fix the problems they cause, the government said cost contribution orders would be able to be placed on manufacturers who have been successfully prosecuted under
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