Following the Grenfell tragedy in 2017, many leaseholders and property developers have incurred significant costs in trying to better protect themselves and their properties.
It is therefore welcome news that the Waking Watch Relief Fund, a £30m fund designed to pay for the costs of installing an alarm system into buildings with unsafe cladding, has been opened to the private and social sectors.
Robert Jenrick, the Secretary of State for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, announced the decision on 31 January 2021 and set the application deadline of 14 March 2021. If you are the Responsible Person for a building and/or a social housing provider, we recommend you take steps well in advance of this deadline to ensure that your application is submitted on time.
Since the Grenfell tragedy, the use of unsafe cladding on new and existing buildings has caused a lot of headaches in the construction industry. The complex debate as to who is responsible for the costs of removing and replacing such materials continues to rumble on with seemingly no end in sight for the owners and residents of these properties.
This funding will bring some relief to leaseholders, developers and social housing providers who have incurred significant additional costs due to the obligatory Waking Watch which requires fire marshals to patrol blocks 24 hours a day looking for signs of fire.
However, given the scale of the problem throughout the UK, the question has to be asked as to whether this latest offering goes far enough. Only yesterday the Government unveiled a £3.5bn fund to fix dangerous cladding which has been criticised for leaving half a million people facing financial difficulties.
In order to be eligible for the fund, the buildings must be over 18 metres with unsafe cladding systems and where Waking Watch costs have been passed on to leaseholders. For a detailed breakdown of the criteria for applying for the fund we would recommend that you review the guidance on the Gov.uk website: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/waking-watch-relief-fund
For further information, please get in touch with the Construction Team at Brabners.
