Uncertain Building Remediation Costs
Persistent uncertainty and lack of updated estimates regarding the costs and scope of remediation for thousands of residential buildings.
120 items
4 sources
Strongest theme matches
Mixed across source types and ranked by classifier confidence plus text match strength.
Committee recommendation
100match
#33 - Building remediation cost estimates for thousands of buildings remain uncertain without updates.
Almost eight years on from the Grenfell Tower fire, MHCLG’s latest estimate, in February 2024, was that there were between 9,000 and 12,000 residential buildings in England taller than 11 metres that will need remediating. Based on this modelling, MHCLG estimated that it would cost the Government, developers and building owners (including social housing providers) between £12.6 billion...
Matched on
terms: building, cost, remediation, uncertain
Committee recommendation
100match
#5 - Uncertainty remains regarding dangerous cladding remediation scope, costs, and completion timelines.
Eight years on from Grenfell, we are concerned that MHCLG still does not know how many buildings have dangerous cladding, how much it will cost to address, or how long it will take. MHCLG’s latest estimate, that 9,000 to 12,000 buildings will need remediating at a total cost of between £12.6 billion and £22.4 billion, is very broad...
Matched on
terms: building, cost, remediation, uncertain
Committee recommendation
99match
#38 - Taxpayer exposure to building remediation costs could exceed the stated £5.1 billion cap.
HM Treasury has agreed to provide short–term funding that would allow remediation to progress in advance of the Levy recouping funds in later years. Based on MHCLG’s financial planning, the NAO highlighted that total taxpayer exposure could reach a maximum of £6.3 billion in 2030-31 before all Levy receipts are collected.63 When we asked MHCLG what impact its...
Matched on
terms: building, cost, remediation
Committee recommendation
99match
#35 - Published remediation unit costs reflect older standards, not the lower-cost PAS 9980 methodology.
In December 2024, MHCLG published remediation cost information per square metre for high–rise buildings over 18 metres in the Building Safety Fund with a view to helping building owners understand the expected 56 Qq 31, 93, 93, 118; CA&G’s Report paras 13, 3.1, Appendix One 57 Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government, Annex A: Technical guidance for...
Matched on
terms: building, cost, remediation
Committee recommendation
99match
#29 - Exorbitant building insurance costs continue to impose severe financial hardship and debt risk
The Home Builders Federation (HBF) raised concerns that insurance companies were seeking to profit from the building safety crisis. The Shared Owners Network similarly wrote that many shared owners were struggling to pay housing-related costs such as insurance. End Our Cladding Scandal (EOCS) raised exorbitant insurance as one of the many costs that risked putting residents “at risk...
Matched on
terms: building, cost, remediation
Committee recommendation
95match
#15 - Seventh Report - Building Safety: Remediation and Funding
As they stand, the Government’s proposals create a bizarre lucky dip in which some leaseholders may see their costs capped at £10,000 (£15,000 in London); some, because they have not yet paid for cladding remediation, may pay nothing at all; and others, who have already paid for cladding remediation, will have paid well in excess of the proposed...
Matched on
terms: building, cost, remediation
Committee recommendation
95match
#44 - MHCLG acknowledges remediation spending by social housing providers reduces new home building commitments.
We asked MHCLG about its understanding of the impact that £3.8 billion of self–remediation costs might have on social sector housebuilding, and whether it had undertaken any assessment of how many houses would not be built because money was being spent on remediation. MHCLG told us that it was “certainly the case” that social housing providers were having...
Matched on
terms: building, cost, remediation
Committee recommendation
95match
#4 - Undertake urgent review of building insurance premiums and propose actions to reduce costs for residents.
MHCLG is not doing enough to manage the risk that residents in affected buildings face exorbitant insurance premiums in the long term. The previous Committee raised concerns in 2020 about the spiralling insurance costs faced by residents awaiting remediation and MHCLG committed to working with insurers to address them. MHCLG asserts that it has taken steps to ban...
Matched on
terms: building, cost, remediation
Committee recommendation
94match
#14 - Leaseholders continue to face significant, 'life-changing' costs for non-cladding fire safety defects.
We asked MHCLG about what it was doing to support residents with non– cladding defects. MHCLG told us that it was developing a new standard with the British Standards Institute to give the sector more certainty over what work needed to be done to address non–cladding issues. It told us that owner-occupiers were protected from the costs of...
Matched on
terms: building, cost, remediation
Committee recommendation
91match
#36 - MHCLG's building remediation number estimates remain outdated and highly questionable.
In written evidence, the Home Builders’ Federation (HBF) was very sceptical about the basis of MHCLG’s estimates of building numbers and the lack of any updates. It told us that MHCLG’s estimate of the likely number of buildings in need of remediation was based on assumptions that were “long outdated and highly questionable”. EOCS also highlighted the importance...
Matched on
terms: building, remediation
Committee recommendation
90match
#17 - Seventh Report - Building Safety: Remediation and Funding
The Government must stop pitting the building safety crisis against the housing crisis. Without access to funds for remediation where social tenants live, residents of social housing are paying the price through the diversion of funds from maintaining their homes and other vital services provided by housing associations and councils. Those on waiting lists and those who are...
Matched on
terms: building, cost, remediation
Committee recommendation
90match
#1 - Seventh Report: Cladding Remediation—Follow-up
We are concerned that, despite our previous recommendation on this issue, the Government still lacks data on the full scale and extent of remediation needed for buildings both below and above 18m. In order to know how much it will cost to remove unsafe cladding from multi-storey buildings once and for all, how long it will take, and...
Matched on
terms: building, cost, remediation
Committee recommendation
90match
#22 - Home Office failed to adequately assess acquisition risks and costs for Northeye site.
When the Chief Secretary to the Treasury approved the acquisition of the Northeye site on 25 March 2023, he noted that the value-for-money case was marginal and based on assumptions that were highly uncertain.71 The cost of remediating the building of asbestos and removing contaminated ground estimated at £20 million did not feature in the Accounting Officer’s advice.72...
Matched on
terms: building, cost, uncertain
Committee recommendation
90match
#3 - Publish annual report on effectiveness of resident-centric remediation, dispute resolution, and Code of Practice adherence.
We are appalled that those living in affected buildings continue to suffer an unacceptable financial and emotional toll. Far too many people continue to feel trapped in unsafe homes, many facing financial uncertainty and many unable to sell their homes and move on with their lives. Residents face ongoing delays to works starting, often due to disputes over...
Matched on
terms: building, remediation, uncertain
Committee recommendation
86match
#9 - Seventh Report: Cladding Remediation—Follow-up
The Government should abolish the loan scheme. We reiterate our call on the Government to re-establish the principle that leaseholders should not pay anything towards the cost of remediating historical building safety defects. Instead, as we have stated, costs should be fully met by the Comprehensive Building Safety Fund, to be funded by Government and industry.
Matched on
terms: building, cost, remediation
Committee recommendation
86match
#11 - Home Office failed to fully action Northeye site survey recommendations on contamination and costs.
The Home Office commissioned some surveys but not a complete ‘Red Book’ survey and sought some additional professional advice on the state of the Northeye site before deciding to purchase it. Preliminary surveys of the site warned of potentially high remediation costs. For example, the planning appraisal, completed in February 2023, highlighted a high risk of contamination across...
Matched on
terms: building, cost, remediation
Committee recommendation
86match
#43 - Social housing providers diverting funds for cladding remediation impacts new home construction significantly.
The Government has pledged to build 1.5 million homes during this Parliament and expects social housing to be at the heart of the UKs’ housing supply. Against a backdrop of the construction sector reporting workforce shortages (paragraph 20), we asked the NHF how the government’s approach to remediation in the social housing sector was likely to impact the...
Matched on
terms: building, cost, remediation
Committee recommendation
86match
#31 - Insurance premiums may remain high despite remediation due to PAS 9980 life safety focus.
MHCLG told us that, as well as options for intervening in the market to reduce premiums while buildings are awaiting remediation, it expected the insurance industry to hold to its word in reducing premiums as risk is reduced. It said it would monitor if premiums were falling as buildings remediated through the PAS 9980 standard came through the...
Matched on
terms: building, cost, remediation
Committee recommendation
86match
#15 - Manufacturers of non-compliant construction products have yet to contribute financially to remediation.
Despite promises in 2022 of tough new measures to force industry to pay to remove cladding, MHCLG accepted that it has yet to find a way to secure a financial contribution from manufacturers. We observed that while developers were contributing to the costs of remediation, manufacturers of non–compliant products had yet to pay anything. MHCLG told us that...
Matched on
terms: building, cost, remediation
Committee recommendation
85match
#13 - Seventh Report: Cladding Remediation—Follow-up
We are concerned by the lack of progress on keeping residents’ building insurance costs reasonable during the period when their buildings are being remediated. The Government has been engaging with the insurance industry for months, and all the while leaseholders are seeing their premiums skyrocket—yet another cost they are facing for a problem not of their making—or worse,...
Matched on
terms: building, cost, remediation
Committee recommendation
83match
#11 - Seventh Report - Building Safety: Remediation and Funding
Governments share responsibility for the building safety crisis on account of their regulatory failings. Everyone involved would instantly have more funds to spend on remediation if the Government played its part by removing VAT on building safety activity, which would enable homes to be made safer. The Government should remove VAT on building safety activity. (Paragraph 30) Building...
Matched on
terms: building, remediation
Committee recommendation
77match
#32 - Insurance premiums will remain high without full property protection alongside life safety.
In written evidence, the ABI called on government to adopt an approach that priorities property protection and building resilience alongside risk to life. It said that without a standard requiring the removal of combustible material in external walls (insulation and cladding), the risk of significant fire spread would remain after remediation and there would be a limited impact...
Matched on
terms: building, cost, remediation, uncertain
Committee recommendation
74match
#8 - Seventh Report: Cladding Remediation—Follow-up
It is disappointing that the Government’s proposed loan scheme, whereby leaseholders contribute up to £50 a month to pay for cladding remediation works on buildings between 11m and 18m high, does not satisfy the previously agreed principle that leaseholders should not pay. Leaseholders of buildings below 18m are no more responsible for fire safety defects, and no more...
Matched on
terms: building, remediation
Committee recommendation
74match
#46 - MHCLG expects Building Safety Levy to have minimal impact on housing supply.
We asked MHCLG about the potential impacts of the Building Safety Levy on housing provision. MHCLG said it had not published any impact assessment or produced specific numbers, but believed the impact would be relatively small. It told us that it had deliberately designed the Levy to take into account factors to protect housing supply. It explained that...
Matched on
terms: building, cost
Committee recommendation
74match
#30 - Risk-pooling arrangements have not effectively reduced extreme building insurance premiums for leaseholders
MHCLG told us that it was bringing forward statutory changes to ban insurance brokers from paying commissions to freeholders and managing agents, and capping what freeholders can charge leaseholders for arranging insurance.51 MHCLG told us that the risk–pooling arrangements it had brokered with the insurance industry to reduce rates had not yet had the impact it hoped on...
Matched on
terms: building, remediation
Committee recommendation
74match
#8 - MHCLG's cladding remediation targets considered too slow and incomplete, with works extending to 2035.
We asked MHCLG how its new plan would speed up the remediation process. MHCLG told us that its Ministers were committed to speeding up the pace of remediation. The Plan introduced a target that by the end of 2029 all buildings over 18 metres will have been remediated, and those between 11 and 18 metres will have been...
Matched on
terms: building, remediation
Committee recommendation
69match
#13 - Fifth report: Pre-legislative scrutiny of the Building Safety Bill
The Government should provide for recovery of ongoing building safety costs through existing service charge provisions while improving the transparency of such charges, preferably by implementing the Committee’s previous recommendations for standardised forms for service charge invoices. The building safety charge should be reserved only for any leases without a service charge and should be treated as a...
Matched on
terms: building, cost
NAO recommendation
69match
Dangerous cladding: the government’s remediation portfolio
MHCLG should consider whether there is additional information and data that it could publish about the portfolio that would: ? give residents in buildings not yet in a programme, or not yet being remediated privately, an indication of how long they might need to wait until their building is made safe. For example, MHCLG should publish a target...
Matched on
terms: building, remediation
Committee recommendation
66match
#9 - Persistent and new barriers hinder accelerated progress of cladding remediation efforts.
The Plan identified several barriers to remediating at pace and outlined the steps MHCLG was taking to address them. Some of these barriers are those MHCLG told the previous committee about in 2020, including landlord reluctance to come forward, limited supply chains of skilled workers needed for remediation and constrained regulatory capacity for enforcement. Others are newer, such...
Matched on
terms: remediation
Committee recommendation
65match
#19 - HMPPS extended Dartmoor lease despite radon, requiring further investment for reopening
To help with capacity pressures, HMPPS recently extended its lease for HMP Dartmoor by 25 years, starting in 2023–24, despite the detection of radon gas in 2020. It closed the prison temporarily in July 2024, following the detection of high radon readings.66 Given the likely substantial costs involved with any remediation, we asked HMPPS whether it had negotiated...
Matched on
terms: cost, remediation
Committee recommendation
65match
#3 - Update how to protect households from unaffordable repair bills when guarantees are insufficient.
Households do not have real assurance the government will protect them from unaffordable bills when the original installer or guarantees do not cover the cost of repairs. Ministers have stated that no household should have to pay to fix the issues. The original installer is liable for fixing the installation and costs up to £20,000 should be covered...
Matched on
terms: cost, remediation
Committee recommendation
62match
#45 - Building Safety Levy raises concerns about impact on new housing delivery and smaller developers.
In its written evidence to us, the Home Builders Federation (HBF), which represents the home building industry, told us of its concerns about the possible impact of the Building Safety Levy on new housing delivery. MHCLG currently expects to raise £3.4 billion over 10 years from the new levy. The HBF noted that, in the absence of detailed...
Matched on
terms: building
Committee recommendation
62match
#28 - Spiralling insurance costs and 'nil' mortgage valuations for leaseholders remain largely unaddressed
In 2020 the previous Committee concluded that MHCLG had not done enough to address spiralling insurance costs affecting leaseholders and ‘nil’ mortgage valuations. It found that private leaseholders in blocks with dangerous cladding had received ‘nil’ valuations for their properties, meaning they had found it impossible to sell or remortgage, while their insurance premiums had risen over 400%...
Matched on
terms: cost
PFD report
61match
Isabella Pritchard
The unregulated fireplace industry lacks safety standards, leading to inherently dangerous designs and vague installation instructions. Absence of building control for installation significantly increases the risk of serious incidents.
Matched on
terms: building
Committee recommendation
57match
#21 - Aging Weybridge facilities make guaranteeing operations during 10-year redevelopment increasingly difficult
In 2017, the Department started a programme to redevelop Weybridge. In the 2025 Spending Review, the government committed £1 billion over the period 2025–26 to 2029–30 to continue the redevelopment, with a total estimated cost of £2.8 billion.27 In correspondence received after our evidence session, the Department stated that the overall redevelopment programme will be completed in 2034–35,...
Matched on
terms: cost
Committee recommendation
57match
#10 - Poor condition of FCDO's overseas estate presents a severe risk and significant maintenance backlog.
FCDO told us that it is not happy with the current condition of its overseas estate and that this presents a severe risk to the organisation.21 Of FCDO’s 6,500 overseas buildings, 933 (around 15%) do not meet its internal target condition score of 70% or higher, according to which buildings are sound, operationally safe and exhibit only minor...
Matched on
terms: building
Committee recommendation
57match
#2 - Ensure FCDO overseas estate achieves sustainable footing with detailed backlog reduction plans
Much of FCDO’s overseas estate is in poor condition, and its estates maintenance backlog would cost an estimated £450 million to resolve. FCDO’s first priority with its overseas estate is providing a safe and legally compliant estate for staff and visitors. However, 933 of its 6,500 properties (around 15%) fail to meet its own condition targets and a...
Matched on
terms: cost
Committee recommendation
53match
#14 - Home Office acquired Northeye site with incomplete information and insufficient contamination surveys.
The Home Office assessed the acquisition against the Accounting Officer tests, concluding that the proposal met the tests of regularity, propriety and feasibility, presented in the Accounting Officer Advice. The assessment also found that the use of the site for asylum accommodation represented value for money when compared with the cost of housing asylum seekers in hotels over...
Matched on
terms: cost
Committee recommendation
53match
#35 - Publish compensation position for unused border infrastructure and prevent future stranded investments.
The Government should set out how it will learn lessons from the implementation of the Border Target Operating Model (BTOM), including the handling of costs for unused or under used border infrastructure. It should publish its position on compensation for local authorities and businesses and state how it will ensure future border policy changes avoid generating unnecessary or...
Matched on
terms: cost
Committee recommendation
53match
#8 - RAAC crisis highlights ageing, fragile school estate requiring more than incremental fixes.
The RAAC crisis highlighted a deeper, systemic issue: the ageing and fragile condition of England’s school estate. RAAC is not the only issue of concern within the wider school estate. While we welcome the Government’s commitment to publish a long-term strategy and its recent steps to improve standards and oversight, the evidence is clear that incremental fixes will...
Matched on
terms: building
Committee recommendation
53match
#20 - Critical National Biosecurity Centre at Weybridge is in poor condition, risking UK disease response.
The National Biosecurity Centre at Weybridge is the UK’s primary science laboratory capability for managing threats from animal diseases. It contains 98% of APHA’s high-containment laboratories. The site is in poor condition, with ageing buildings that need major repair and replacement.24 While acknowledging the critical importance of Weybridge, the Department highlighted that it does have other laboratory capacity...
Matched on
terms: building
Committee recommendation
53match
#25 - Ensure Government steps in to remediate defects when other avenues are exhausted.
The Department told us that the Ministers are very clear these problems must be fixed at no cost to households who have done nothing wrong. It told us it expects only a “very small number” of homes to not be remediated by the original installer or covered by the guarantee. The Department told us it is “working hard...
Matched on
terms: cost
Committee recommendation
52match
#31 - 1st Report - Pre-legislative scrutiny of the draft Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Bill
Currently, freeholders are not required to disclose information regarding building safety defects in a block as part of the enfranchisement process. Leaseholders must be fully informed of any liabilities they may be assuming during the enfranchisement process when converting to commonhold. Whilst we agree with the Minister that homeowners must always seek professional advice before deciding to convert...
Matched on
terms: building
PFD report
49match
John Alliston
The lack of a mandatory requirement for electrical inspections in private rental properties, adhering to BS7671 standards, poses a risk of future deaths.
Matched on
classifier match
PFD report
49match
Bernadette Faulkner
The electricity meter's excessive height and placement behind an inwardly opening door created a significant safety risk for access, compounded by the lack of industry standards for meter accessibility.
Matched on
classifier match
Committee recommendation
49match
#23 - Millions of residents trapped in unsafe, unsellable flats face severe financial and emotional hardship
As many as 3 million people may have been affected by the cladding crisis. The NAO found that residents continue to suffer ongoing financial and emotional consequences. In its written evidence to us, End Our Cladding Scandal (EOCS) told us that the lives of thousands of ordinary people had been drastically altered through no fault of their own....
Matched on
classifier match
Committee recommendation
49match
#34 - Lack of compensation clarity for redundant border infrastructure negatively impacts government relationships.
Local authorities and businesses have invested heavily, at the Government’s instruction, in border infrastructure that may become redundant under a new SPS regime. A lack of clarity from HM Treasury regarding compensation has had a negative impact on relationships between local authorities and Government. (Conclusion, Paragraph 87)
Matched on
classifier match
Committee recommendation
45match
#12 - UKHSA's ageing high containment laboratories pose significant public health risk due to remedial investment needs.
UKHSA’s purpose is to prevent, prepare for and respond to infectious diseases and environmental hazards, and to provide scientific and operational leadership to protect the public’s health and to build the nation’s health security capability.UKHSA owns high containment science laboratories at Porton Down and Colindale, which are nearing the end of their operational life.16 These laboratories are a...
Matched on
classifier match
Committee recommendation
45match
#21 - Ageing heritage assets in FCDO's overseas estate require £2.1 billion for essential capital projects.
FCDO’s overseas estate contains a number of large properties, including Embassies, official Residences and compounds.55 Many of these properties, such as the Washington Embassy or the British Ambassador’s Residence in Paris, are large heritage assets which perform a key role in supporting the achievement of the UK government’s diplomatic aims and operations. The age of such assets means...
Matched on
classifier match
Committee recommendation
45match
#18 - FCDO's maintenance backlog was severely underestimated, necessitating external professionals for accurate assessment.
In November 2023, FCDO recognised that its £150 million estimate of its overseas estate maintenance backlog was likely to be an underestimate and commissioned professional surveyors to conduct a one-off exercise to identify the true backlog.47 FCDO ran a programme between April and October 2024 to collect data at 100 posts, which allowed FCDO to calculate that its...
Matched on
classifier match