Government reviews of building safety
10/02/2020
The Government is reviewing building safety following the Grenfell Tower fire. New guidance is regularly published as decisions are made about how best to keep buildings as safe as possible.
The latest consolidated guidance (which you can see here) has led some surveyors to issue nil value valuations and so mortgage lenders are refusing to lend.
This is a concern experienced in residential blocks across the country. You may have seen recent media coverage about it, and we very much appreciate that if you are trying to buy or sell your property it will have significant consequences.
Poplar HARCA has always had a robust fire safety inspection regime, with fire risk assessments being done on taller buildings twice a year. In the days following the Grenfell fire we audited every building above 4 storeys high, and we have since removed ACM cladding.
We’ve now employed 3 fire engineers to further inspect all of our taller buildings. The test results will mean we can provide certification that should be accepted by valuers and mortgage lenders. For obvious reasons, there is huge demand for fire engineers which means it could take several more months before we can confirm certification.
We will let affected residents who have contacted us know as soon as the inspection of their building has taken place.
In the meantime, please report any concerns about fire safety to us at info@poplarharca.co.uk, or call us on 0800 035 1991. And there is lots more information about fire safety here.