The horrific events of the Grenfell tragedy on 14th June 2017 have pulled into sharp focus the potential for significant health and safety issues around external cladding and fire safety in high-rise buildings. This article looks at the issues that someone affected by cladding who also may be considering buying their freehold may need to think about. To understand the position - which is likely to vary from case to case - we need to understand some of the background to the cladding crisis and look at how this has affected different buildings.

There are a lot of headlines about cladding and the impact it’s having on people and their homes. What we are trying to do in this series of articles is help you have the information you need, to know if this is a problem for you as a seller or as a buyer, and point you in the right direction for help.

On the surface, a £5bn fund to help leaseholders to remediate the problem at little or no cost, seems to be a huge help from the government. However, according to George Martin, a leaseholder affected by these issues, the government is only attempting to solve a small part of the overall problem. This goes beyond cladding - it’s a building safety crisis. Read more here.

There are some really good initiatives being carried out to keep the pressure on the government and support home owners so they don’t go through this on their own. Read more to find out what home owners or potential buyers can do. 

While we thought we were all heading for a nightmare guillotine at the end of March in the property market, thank goodness the Treasury listened to all those who worked hard to raise the issue of ending Stamp Duty so abruptly. When other markets have been closed down for nearly a year and some people have received no help throughout the pandemic, the property industry has thrived. And although some reports are showing a slowing of activity, most agree that those interested in home moving this year is still higher than previous years, and this growth in demand isn’t likely to stop any time soon. Read more to find out what's happening in your area.