On 11th March 2020, the government announced a £1 Billion Building Safety Fund for the removal of dangerous cladding of all forms from high-rise buildings, which was identified as a priority after the Grenfell Tower enquiry.
If you own or are responsible for a building with unsafe non-ACM cladding you could be eligible for funding. You will, however, need to act fast and can apply as soon as Monday 1st June 2020.
Scope of the fund
In the private sector, where eligible, the Building Safety Fund will meet the capital costs of removing and replacing unsafe non-ACM cladding systems on high rise residential building; which would otherwise be passed on to leaseholders.
It covers cladding materials and systems that do not meet an appropriate standard of fire safety and therefore pose a significant risk to the health andsafety of residents and other building users.
Building Owners, Freeholders, or other responsible entities will be eligible for funding if their building is over 18m with unsafe non-ACM cladding systems as part of the external wall system. This includes, but is not limited to:
- some types of (non-aluminium) metal composite panels,
- high pressure laminate,
- and render and timber wall systems, where these do not meet fire safety standards.
According to Inside Housing, the fund will be put in place to “cover the costs directly related to the removal of unsafe non-ACM cladding only” this does include labour and construction costs, Managing Agent fees and the costs of technical inspections. However, it is not clear from the guidance whether technical inspections relate to investigative projects required to determine if the buildings cladding is indeed unsafe.
Overall, the fund will meet the cost of remediating non-ACM cladding systems where building owners (or other responsible persons) are unable to do so. Whilst the budget is quite large, it is widely considered that there is not enough funding to go around. Which is why you will need to act fast if you feel you are eligible.
How do I apply?
The registration process will open in the first week of June and will remain open until 31st July 2020.
Once buildings are registered, the Department will work with building owners to complete any technical assessments necessary to determine eligibility. Full guidance for which will be available by the end of July 2020.
Applications for funding will only be available to those building owners, freeholders or responsible entities who register. Find out more here.
