Eleven property developers are yet to sign a UK government contract to repair unsafe cladding on apartment blocks, potentially barring them from building in future, according to Michael Gove, the secretary of state for housing.
(Bloomberg) — Eleven property developers are yet to sign a UK government contract to repair unsafe cladding on apartment blocks, potentially barring them from building in future, according to Michael Gove, the secretary of state for housing.
While 39 firms signed the commitment by Monday’s deadline, others including Abbey Developments, Ballymore and Galliard Homes have not, Gove said in parliament. Rydon Homes, one of the companies linked to the refurbishment of Grenfell Tower, and Aim-listed Inland Homes Plc were also among those that have not signed.
The government has said it will bring forward legislation to ban companies from the housing market unless they agree to shoulder the cost of repairs for serious safety faults.
Developers have now committed to fixing 1,100 buildings, Gove told parliament. “They are making significant financial commitments and I am grateful to them,” he said.
The Grenfell tower fire, which claimed the lives of 72 people in 2017, exposed a raft of building safety failures affecting hundreds of apartment blocks around the UK. That sparked questions about who should pay to fix the issues, leaving thousands of homeowners unable to sell and trapped in unsafe properties.
Gove has pushed builders to take responsibility for improvements and has also introduced a Building Safety Levy on the sector, creating estimated costs of £5 billion for firms.
The government said the following companies hadn’t committed to its remediation contract:
- Abbey Developments
- Avant
- Ballymore
- Dandara
- Emerson Group (Jones Homes)
- Galliard Homes
- Inland Homes
- Lendlease
- London Square
- Rydon Homes
- Telford Homes
(Adds detail on companies from second paragraph.)
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