Cladding remediation

Social housing tenants and qualifying leaseholders do not have to pay for unsafe cladding to be fixed.

We secure funding in a number of ways:

• Developers – We ask the developer to pay if they built the building and are responsible.
• Legal action – If a developer refuses to pay, we will take legal action where appropriate.
• Government funding – Where eligible, we apply for government funding to cover the cost of the work.

You’re a qualifying leaseholder if your property is in a building above 11m (or five storeys), and on 14 February 2022:

• The property was your main home, OR

• You owned no more than three UK residential properties in total.

Please note that if you had to move out and sub-let your property at that time, you’re still covered as a qualifying leaseholder if the other criteria above are met.

If your building needs repairs that do not involve cladding (like fixing internal fire doors or smoke vents), there is a legal limit on what leaseholders can be asked to pay.

By law, these costs are capped at a maximum of:

• £15,000 if you live in Greater London.
• £10,000 if you live anywhere else in England.

These caps are often spread out over 5 years, and you may not have to pay anything at all if the developer or landlord is responsible. You can read the full government guide on non-cladding caps to learn more.

It depends on your building. Timelines vary due to the design, complexity, specialist availability and regulatory approvals.

We’ll keep you informed throughout and provide updates at least quarterly.

Yes. We carry out regular fire risk assessments and checks in all of our buildings.

If a fire engineer recommends any interim measures, such as a temporary fire alarm, or a waking watch, we make sure they’re put in place and will let you know straightaway.

The Government's position remains that buildings under 11 metres are generally less likely to present widespread risks from cladding than taller buildings and improving fire safety measures may be the right solution. This could include installing sprinkler systems or enhanced fire alarms. However, it recognises that some low-rise buildings may require remediation.

We check external walls as part of our ongoing fire risk assessment programme. If further investigation identifies that cladding remediation is needed, we will explore all funding options and pursue developers as we are committed to protecting leaseholders from costs.

We've now reviewed all EWS1 forms issued by Tri Fire and contacted customers directly with the findings. The latest updates are available here.

If your flat is protected, that protection stays with the property.

• No. The new owner won't have to pay qualifying remediation costs.
• The protection automatically passes to the new owner when you sell your flat.

• Contact us to find out whether your building has an EWS1 form.
• We'll let you know what information we can provide to support your sale, purchase or remortgage.
• Some lenders may accept other evidence instead of an EWS1 form.

• We're reviewing EWS1 forms issued by Tri Fire as part of our building safety programme.
• If your building is affected, we'll contact you directly.
• Read our Update on Tri Fire issued EWS1 forms page for the latest information.

• For general cladding questions, contact us in a way that works best for you.