PARLIAMENTARY WRITTEN QUESTION
Buildings: Fire Prevention (11 January 2022)

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what plans he has to help protect leaseholders from paying the costs of non-cladding related fire safety defects, such as defective fire doors.

Asked by:
Marsha De Cordova (Labour)

The new funding schemes will make sure leaseholders never pay a penny to fix dangerous cladding.

On non-cladding, we are clear that we have to make sure there is a proportionate approach – there are too many incentives currently to try to find new problems and declare buildings unsafe. We recognise there is a specific heightened safety risk with cladding which can accelerate fires. That is why our new plan to apply common sense is so important. If there are any remaining non-cladding costs, we want to support leaseholders across the board – they should not be bearing an unfair burden.

That is why:

• Developers will be expected to fix all fire defects in the buildings they built;
• We will work with MPs on broad statutory protections for leaseholders; and
• We are working across government to ensure leaseholders will be protected against eviction for any fire safety defect costs.

Answered by:
Christopher Pincher (Independent)
19 January 2022