The Society of Licensed Conveyancers (SLC) has written an open letter to housing secretary Michael Gove asking that the government pay for all remedial cladding costs of the 500,000 flats currently considered too dangerous to live in or sell.

In the letter, SLC board member and past chairman John Clay writes: “The government of the day failed to take action after having been warned when fire tests carried out for them in 2004 predicted a disaster.

“This warning came 13 years before the Grenfell tragedy (and again when a similar fatal fire broke out at Lakanal House in 2009).

“The London Fire Brigade also warned the government in 2012 and 2013 in a series of letters to Brandon Lewis about the fire danger in high rise blocks, but he declined to introduce new legislation which may have prevented 72 unnecessary deaths.”

Clay suggests that all costs could be claimed from the developers “responsible for the current mess.”

The society says in a separate document that “many” affected leaseholders are suffering from severe depression and that 23% are contemplating suicide.

It adds that leaseholders face bills of £50,000 to £85,000 for fire risk assessments.

“It is a very complicated situation which we would suggest your department has not previously taken seriously enough in so far as those directly affected do not have any choice but to continue to live in apartments. Many of which have no value whatsoever,” the letter concludes.