The government scheme to make developers pay to replace dangerous cladding on buildings between 11 and 18 metres high is “riddled with confusion and risks needless delays”, says the National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA).
This, the NRLA argues, is because in the same announcement, housing minister Michael Gove stated that leaseholders should not be expected to pay for any of this – and the government has since said it hasn’t decided if buy-to-let (BTL) landlords will be included in this.
Gove has also said that people who sublet will be included in the scheme.
This is not treating all leaseholders equally, says the NRLA. It adds that delays in fixing cladding are likely to occur as the government decides who is an accidental landlord and who isn’t if such an action is required.
The NRLA will be speaking on the subject at a department of Levelling up, Housing and Communities select committee (DLUHC) later today, 31 January.
NRLA chief executive Ben Beadle comments: “It makes no sense to be treating leaseholders who are landlords so differently to owner-occupiers.
Both groups have faced the same problems, and both should be treated equally. We are calling on the government to rectify this injustice as a matter of urgency.”
A DLUHC spokesperson says: “We are bringing this scandal to an end – protecting leaseholders and making industry pay.
“It is not right that innocent leaseholders – including those who have moved out and now sublet their properties – should pay to remove dangerous cladding for which they were not responsible.
“We will explore whether this support should extend to other leaseholders, such as BTL landlords.”
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