Managing agents back MPs calling on government to pay for cladding failures

Managing agents have backed a parliamentary committee’s call for the government to pay for remedial work to residential towers with cladding defects, rather than leaseholders.

The Association of Residential Managing Agents (ARMA) says the report, published this week by the committee of MPs which scrutinises the ministry of housing, mirrors its advice that forcing leaseholders to finance the replacement or upgrade of cladding on residential towers is unfair.

The comments refer to the draft Building Safety Bill, a controversial piece legislation which will attempt to fix the flaws in the UK’s building safety regime highlighted by the Grenfell tragedy.

As the leading trade association for residential leasehold management, ARMA is calling for further clarity around the bill’s legislation and regulation, particularly the roles and responsibilities of key professions in the construction and building management sectors.

These include the new titles of ‘accountable person’ and ‘building safety manager’, which will form vital parts of the new regime.

ARMA welcomes the report’s suggestion of subjecting those in these roles to national accreditation and registration standards.

Nigel Glen (pictured), CEO of ARMA, who gave evidence to MPs during the draft Bill’s pre-legislative scrutiny, says: “The feedback is encouraging and certainly a step in the right direction towards alleviating residents’ fears over crippling remediation costs.

“Whilst historic defects are not the responsibilities of leaseholders to pay, there is an obvious shortfall of money in the current building safety fund. We urge the government to find a way to bridge this gap.

MP Clive Betts (left), who heads up the committee scrutinishing the Bill, says: “The Government must bring an end to the ongoing uncertainty around who will pay the cost for the historic failures in the building safety regime. Leaseholders should not be expected to foot the bill for failures that were not of their making.”