Scottish homeowners whose flats have external cladding, which may be unsafe, will be offered free checks to determine if they need to be removed.
Scotland’s housing minister Kevin Stewart says he accepts this key recommendation in a report published today by the ministerial working group on Mortgage Lending and Cladding. It called the checks, single building assessments.
The move comes as thousands of flat-owners across the UK face huge bills for improvements, three years after the Grenfell Tower disaster highlighted lapsed fire-safety standards across the country.
Many are trapped in flats they cannot sell or fully insure until these repairs are made, and are in danger of bankrupting themselves if they attempt to meet costs which can run into tens of thousands of pounds.
Stewart says: “We will start assessments in June with remediation funding confirmed as soon as possible afterwards, possibly as early as August. By funding the single building assessments we will have a clear picture of the scale of the issue.
“This will enable us to provide support for the remediation work required – I do not want people left facing unfair remediation costs.”
The move saves homeowners from finding cash that they may otherwise have faced to pay for an External Wall System (EWS1) report on individual properties.
Stewart adds: “We are committing every penny of the £97.1 million consequential we have received so far towards this ambitious programme of work. We cannot guarantee that there will be enough public funds to support all the work that is needed, and other parties such as developers must continue to play their part where construction is not as it should have been.
“We have not yet been given clarity about how much or when we will receive the further funding promised from the UK government and we continue to urgently press for this. When we do receive this, we will commit to ensuring it goes towards this major programme of work.”
Last month, UK housing secretary Robert Jenrick pledged £3.5bn to remove unsafe cladding from high-rise buildings over 18 metres high across the UK. This came on top of a £1.6bn fund announced in March, last year.
Under the Barnett Formula, Scottish ministers can expect a further £350m from the UK government fund announced last month, says the Scottish Herald.
The Newspaper adds that “at least” 85 high rise blocks in Scotland have cladding that has raised safety concerns with experts.
Both the Building Societies Association and UK Finance welcomed the move.
BSA head of mortgage and housing policy Paul Broadhead says: “The understanding demonstrated by the minister for local government, housing and planning that the root cause of the whole issue is one of safety, and that addressing this will lead to solutions that will free up property transactions, is absolutely right.
“Scotland has faced unique tenure related challenges given the co-ownership structure of blocks of flats. Given this, the proposals for a single building assessment funded by the Scottish government should, if implemented quickly, offer an innovative solution to help consumers waiting to buy or sell.”
UK Finance director of mortgages Charles Roe adds: “If successfully implemented, the new single building assessment will be an important and welcome initiative to get the housing market moving in Scotland. We will continue to work with the Scottish government as it develops the detail needed to deliver the new approach.”
Earlier this month, the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors set out new guidance to clarify which properties require valuers to complete an EWS1 form and which do not, in a bid to unlock the sales of flats with cladding.
