Research unveils “widening two-tier divide” in cladding remediation

Subsequent to the research findings, TPI is now calling for the Government’s Remediation Bill to include stronger compulsion measures that then force developers who’ve signed up to the Responsible Actors Scheme to act.

At the current rate of progress, TPI estimates that it could take around ten years for all developer-pledged buildings to have started remediation works on-site.

In 2022, 53 housebuilders signed Government‑led pledges accepting responsibility for fixing life‑critical defects in 2,604 buildings they developed. Four years on, many of those schemes remain stuck in assessment or scoping, with little sign of acceleration. The latest Government figures suggest that more than 1,300 buildings have yet to make a meaningful start on remediation, leaving residents in nearly 80,000 homes in unsafe buildings.

Across 511 buildings with identified cladding remediation needs, as collated by TPI from its members and which includes buildings covered by both Government-funded schemes and pledged developer, just 24% of them are in active delivery, with 13.5% complete and 11% currently on-site. Around half (48%, in fact) of buildings remain stalled in early stages. That’s up from a figure of 32% last year.

Research methodology

As stated, the thorough research analysed Government-funded (117) and developer-pledged (394) remediation scheme projects. Data was collected and compared across three time points spanning the past 12 months to assess the rate of progress.

The estimate of ten years to reach full developer-pledged completion is based on the observed rate of approximately 32 buildings per year progressing to on-site or completed status as applied to the current pipeline of approximately 316 stalled or early-stage developer-pledged buildings.

The findings follow on from the King’s Speech in Parliament. This confirmed that a Remediation Bill will be brought forward in the next Parliamentary session. As a result of the findings, TPI is calling on the Government to use the legislation to introduce a backstop: a legal enforcement mechanism that automatically kicks-in if a developer fails to meet a remediation deadline. As things stand, this only applies to landlords and not developers.

The Remediation Bill will be introduced to close long‑standing gaps in the post‑Grenfell regime and speed up work across thousands of unsafe buildings. Government estimates suggest between 9,000 and 12,000 residential blocks over 11 metres tall contain serious defects, with many still awaiting full assessment. TPI is therefore calling for the scope of the Bill to also cover internal safety defects as well as external cladding.

Faster progress

More promisingly, Government-funded schemes recorded by TPI (totalling 117 projects) are making considerably faster progress:

*40% of Government-funded projects are on-site or in the completion stages compared to just 19% of developer-pledged projects

*26% of Government-funded remediation projects are now complete, which is up from 13% when compared to the previous year

*Only 14% of Government-funded projects remain at the early stages, down sharply from 41% last year and signalling momentum

Developer-pledged schemes (394 projects have been assessed as part of TPI’s research) tell a very different story:

*58% of developer-pledged projects remain at the early stages (ie application or scoping), a proportion that has barely shifted across three data sets over the past 12 months

*Only 10% of developer-pledged buildings are complete compared to 26% of Government-funded projects

*Just 10% of developer-pledged projects have commenced on-site, which is up from 6% last year, but still far behind Government-funded counterparts

“Genuinely alarming”

Andrew Bulmer, CEO at TPI, said: “This data is genuinely alarming. Thousands of people across the country are living in unsafe buildings, often unable to sell their homes, having faced nearly a decade’s worth of uncertainty since the Grenfell Tower tragedy.”

Bulmer continued: “The fact that the current remediation progress is so slow, and with no end in sight, is a national scandal. The goal for the Government and everyone involved in the housing sector should be to make these homes safe as soon as possible.”

In conclusion, Bulmer noted: “The Government’s Remediation Bill is an opportunity to give developers a legally binding backstop that reassures residents every step legally possible is being explored and taken to make their homes safe. Pledged developers need a hard deadline to ensure there are no more unnecessary delays.”

Professional body

TPI is the leading professional body for the residential property management profession, representing around 7,500 property managers and more than 380 managing agent and factoring firms across England, Scotland and Wales.

The Institute is wholly dedicated to advancing industry practices and actively supports its members to continually improve building management standards, ensuring people’s homes are managed competently, safely and ethically.

This is achieved through the delivery of a wide range of Ofqual-accredited qualifications, training courses and Continuing Professional Development (CPD) alongside compliance reviews for Company Members in England and Wales delivered against the Consumer Charter and Standards, as well as the provision of comprehensive guidance and support to the profession at large.

*Further information is available online at www.tpi.org.uk