Flats with cladding unsellable post Grenfell - EWS1

[D'wards]

I live in a shared ownership flat. 3rd floor of 3.
It has terracotta cladding on the outside.

Now, we are trapped in a bit of a stalemate. In order for someone to buy your flat the mortgage lender insists on a EWS1 form to certify the cladding is safe.

The law says if the building is under 18m tall you don't need one, but the mortgage lenders are insisting on it.
The problem is that the survey costs tens of thousands of pounds and there are hardly any of the surveyors about. So its a question of who will pay for it, and when you could ve done.

On the radio this morning they said it could be at least 4 years until all the cladded buildings in the UK are surveyed.

Its a sorry state of affairs- anyone else in this situation?

 

[ska invita]

I know a few people in this position, affects a lot of buildings....sounds like a total nightmare... Can't see any silver lining I'm afraid. From what I hear you just have to wait it out. Youre definitely far from alone

 

[D'wards]

I'm planning to move to edenbridge where there's a new housing development. I'll probably miss the boat now though until I can sell this pad

 

[D'wards]

The cladding crisis that has made 3,000,000 people’s homes worthless

Flat owners are being told their homes could be unsellable for the next 10 years due to changes in building regulations post-Grenfell.

metro.co.uk

 

[bellaozzydog]

I posted about this somewhere else.
my freeholder for some reason doesn’t want to get a survey done but still charged us 34 k for it......I got a local quote for 6k. The building doesn’t have any of the problematic cladding on it

no one can sell or re mortgage anything in the building

they had an owners meeting and only 14 people turned up and the freeholder talked them out of getting it done and asked for another meeting in six month to “see what was happening”

still charged us communally 34 k

 

[Epona]

Shit, something else to worry about

We have some white paneling on parts of the outside of our low-rise block so I now wonder if I am going to stuck here forever until it is repossessed due to massive paneling related bills that we will not be able to pay Just adding this to the massive list of woes in my life right now. Fuck.

 

[ska invita]

heard latest from one friend in this situation.
theyve had the rare survey and report returned
their building has the full danger flammable cladding...the neighbouring richer building had a better type of cladding that doesn't need taken down
so the projected costs is 5 million, and the work will take a year to do, and for some reason is slated to start in a years time
however there is an argument as to who should pay for it, the developer and the residents are going to go to court eventually, which will take years - the residents are only just organising themselves now. courts were backed up before covid, even more so now.
so even with the report years to go living in a potential death trap. government doesn't give a shit

 

[ddraig]

Cladding: Extra £3.5bn for unsafe buildings 'too little, too late'

Ministers say dangerous materials will be removed from England's high-rises "at no cost to residents".

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[D'wards]

Leaseholders ‘horrified’ after final vote on £10bn fire safety costs

Many homeowners facing financial ruin with devastating bills to make homes safe in wake of Grenfell

www.theguardian.com

 

[TopCat]

Was the argument to provide public money to fix it for smaller buildings?

 

[D'wards]

Was the argument to provide public money to fix it for smaller buildings?

Think it was yes. Under 18m tall

 

[D'wards]

It is a fucking disgrace really, which I know is easy to say cos I'm caught up in it.

Fucking tories- fucking over normal people to the benefit of big business once again.

People in my flats are stressed about it- for some, including me, it could well wipe out all out equity meaning we have to start again on the property ladder. An I'm 46 so getting long in the tooth to be effectively first time buying again.

 

[bellaozzydog]

So I’ve just been given my service charge for 2021-2022

32 thousand pounds

2666 quid a month

Not sure where anyone goes with bills like that. That’s what the freeholder and his pet management company have come up with….

People need to be strung up lampposts

88 people who just can’t afford it at all, where does the building go from here, what does the freeholder do start legal action against everyone

 

[ska invita]

So I’ve just been given my service charge for 2021-2022

32 thousand pounds

2666 quid a month

Not sure where anyone goes with bills like that. That’s what the freeholder and his pet management company have come up with….

People need to be strung up lampposts

88 people who just can’t afford it at all, where does the building go from here, what does the freeholder do start legal action against everyone

What was it before?

 

[bellaozzydog]

What was it before?

1600 a year

 

[MickiQ]

So I’ve just been given my service charge for 2021-2022

32 thousand pounds

2666 quid a month

Not sure where anyone goes with bills like that. That’s what the freeholder and his pet management company have come up with….

People need to be strung up lampposts

88 people who just can’t afford it at all, where does the building go from here, what does the freeholder do start legal action against everyone

that's the repayments on a mortgage for half a million quid and about the same as national average (mean) salary on what grounds are they trying to justify it?

 

[bellaozzydog]

that's the repayments on a mortgage for half a million quid and about the same as national average (mean) salary on what grounds are they trying to justify it?

Waking watch while they sort out the fire issues including cladding which while not grenfell cladding the local fire authority have gone to town on and insisted on removing

Free holder developed air B and B units in areas of the building designated for fan circulation equipment and destroyed all the fire breaks in the building as well

 

[MickiQ]

This is the point at which I would consult a lawyer

 

[bellaozzydog]

This is the point at which I would consult a lawyer

I’ve been closed out of the leaseholder committee zoom meetings for suggesting this is essential for about 8 months. I had an indignant rant on a zoom meeting and everybody basically cheered, so further zoom meetings were cancelled

Some pliant auld naive self appointed chairman of the leaseholder committee is balls deep in the freeholder and constantly telling the scared owners that legal action is too expensive and could bankrupt them….

I’m hoping this bombshell wakes some of the fuckers up.