The government has announced new measures aimed at supporting leaseholders living in buildings affected by unsafe cladding, with additional funding and reforms designed to speed up building safety work.
Under the latest proposals, buildings below 11 metres in height will now be eligible for funding through the existing Cladding Safety Scheme, with priority given to developments that pose the greatest risk to residents.
The government has also confirmed plans to simplify the process for the Building Safety Regulator to issue building assessment certificates, helping to reduce delays in remediation.
Greater Focus on Building Risk
The new approach marks a shift away from assessing buildings primarily by height. Instead, remediation will be prioritised according to the level of risk each building presents to occupants.
This means lower-rise buildings with significant fire safety concerns could receive support ahead of taller buildings considered to pose a lower risk.
Building Safety Minister Samantha Dixon said residents should not have to live with dangerous cladding simply because their building falls below the previous height threshold for funding.
She added that the government’s revised approach is intended to ensure the highest-risk buildings are addressed first while making the remediation process more straightforward and transparent.
Helping Leaseholders Move Forward
The government acknowledged that many leaseholders have faced years of uncertainty due to building safety issues that were beyond their control.
Economic Secretary to the Treasury Rachel Blake said many residents have struggled to sell their homes or move on with their lives because of unresolved cladding concerns.
She also confirmed that the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) will review how insurance premiums are being set for affected buildings, helping determine whether leaseholders are receiving fair value for the cover they are paying for.
Property Sector Welcomes the Changes
The latest announcement has been broadly welcomed across the housing industry.
Nathan Emerson, Chief Executive of Propertymark, said the organisation supports the government’s renewed commitment to removing dangerous cladding from high-risk buildings.
He noted that many leaseholders have experienced years of uncertainty, expensive remediation work and delays in selling their properties because of ongoing safety concerns.
Kate Henderson, Chief Executive of the National Housing Federation, also welcomed the decision to prioritise remediation based on risk rather than height.
She said this approach better reflects the reality that building height alone does not determine fire risk and should help direct resources towards the buildings that need them most.
Henderson added that housing associations continue to make progress in improving building safety but stressed that government funding remains essential to complete remediation work across the country.
Further Changes to Building Regulation
Alongside the cladding announcement, the government has also revealed plans to establish a new single construction regulator.
The proposed body will bring together different parts of the building regulation system, with the aim of creating a simpler and more efficient framework for developers, building owners and regulators.
With thousands of leaseholders still affected by unsafe cladding, the latest reforms are intended to speed up remediation, improve oversight and provide greater confidence for residents living in affected buildings.
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