Life After Grenfell

Reform and Remediation

Built in 1974 and standing at 25 storeys and 67m tall, the Grenfell Tower was to become the setting for an appalling tragedy, one that shook the British nation to the core.

THE TRAGEDY UNFOLDS

In the early hours of Wednesday 14 June 2017 a fire broke out in the kitchen of Flat 16 Grenfell Tower. Its origin and magnitude were nothing out of the ordinary. However, the fire quickly escaped from the kitchen into the external envelope of the building. The building was constructed of reinforced concrete, to which there had recently been added a cladding system.

The rainscreen panels contained a polyethylene core – a highly combustible substance. The material from which most of the insulation boards were made was also combustible.

Firefighters attended the fire and within minutes had extinguished the fire in the kitchen of Flat 16, but by that time the fire had already escaped into the cladding. Within 20 minutes a vertical column of flame had reached the top of the building. Within a few hours it had engulfed almost the whole of the building.

Excerpt taken from the Grenfell Enquiry
Photo: Natalie Oxford

UNDERSTANDING THE CAUSES

The Grenfell inquiry was commissioned to determine how a simple kitchen fire was able to spread and engulf the entire building in little more than 20 minutes. And to understand how firefighters could neither control the blaze, nor rescue a significant number of residents due to failed safety strategies, sadly resulting in the loss of 72 lives.

In the closing statement of the Grenfell inquiry, Richard Millet KC stated that,

there was a long run-up of incompetence and poor practices in the construction industry and the fire engineering and architects’ profession; weak and incompetent building control; cynical and possibly even dishonest practices in the cladding and insulation materials manufacturing sector; incompetence, weakness and malpractice by those responsible for testing those materials; the failure of central government to act, despite known risks…”

The finger of blame was pointed at many rather than one or two specific parties, in a chain of events that ultimately led to a catastrophe. The disaster was unwittingly formed in a progression of piecemeal thinking and lack of communication. The remedy would therefore need to be system wide.

CREATING CHANGE

The outcome of Grenfell is etched on the landscape of London. Still wrapped in covers, the burnt-out Tower is a giant memorial and reminder of the impact of a modern ‘fire of London’. Thankfully the matter has been taken very seriously with think tanks established to address the many different problems that the incident brought to light and define the way forwards. The results of which have culminated in the Building Safety Act 2022:

Regulations and standards

The Act introduces three new bodies to oversee the new framework of controls and monitoring:

Design

Safety begins at the design stage, so a clear framework for the design and construction of new homes has been created with the aim of delivering higher quality, safer housing. This is made up of 3 Gateways with hard stops to check safety at each stage of development.

Accountability

A Principal Accountable Person (PAP) must be identified for each premises and is ultimately responsible for the upkeep and safety of the building. The Accountable Person must appoint a Building Safety Manager. Higher Risk Building owners must register their building with the Building Safety Regulator. See our article about the Fire Safety Act.

Fire Safety Order

Responsible Persons are tasked with carrying out regular safety checks and inspections, providing proof of compliance and keeping comprehensive records.

Use of non-combustible materials

Modern cladding was identified as the major cause of the fire spreading so quickly. New regulations ban the use of combustible materials in and on the external walls of new blocks of flats, hospitals, residential care premises, student accommodation, hotels, hostels and boarding houses over 18 metres in height.

Digital Golden Thread

Lack of communication and joined-up thinking was identified as the one of the major failings that led to the Grenfell fire. Moving forward there is a directive to…

…capture a building’s data from the earliest design stage, during construction and right through to occupation, including decommissioning. This includes an auditable trail of accountability, recording which decisions have been made, when, and by whom.”

WE ALL HAVE A RIGHT TO SAFE HOME

The Building Safety Act 2022 makes ground-breaking reforms to the quality of new housing to be built whilst addressing historic issues. Residents and homeowners have more rights, powers and protection.

  1. Leaseholders are no longer the first port of call for historical safety defects.
  2. Building owners will not legally be able to charge qualifying lease holders for costs involved in cladding remediation (on buildings over 5 storeys/11m).
  3. Residents in high rise buildings will have more say in safety policies and how their building is maintained.
  4. Residents can raise their concerns directly with the Building Safety Regulator if they feel they are being ignored.
  5. Homeowners will have 15 years to claim compensation for substandard construction work.
  6. Building owners and landlords will need to contribute to the costs of fixing their buildings.

PUTTING THE BILL INTO PRACTICE

The effects of the Act are far-reaching and represent a major step change in the sector. It should lead to safer homes for all those who live in high rise and highrisk buildings in the long run. However, 7 years on claims for cladding remediation are still on-going and slow to be actioned:

  • As of June 2024 only 29% of the 4,613 residential buildings with unsafe cladding have completed remediation.
  • A further 21% of the above buildings have commenced remediation.
  • Which means that 50% of the 4,613 monitored cases are yet to start.

The figures are not reassuring.

TALK TO US ABOUT CLADDING REMEDIATION

At MIH, we have documented success with helping blocks to manage the process of Cladding Remediation and the claims involved in achieving this.

MIH are an excellent property management agent. During over 10 years owning a leasehold property in London I have experienced a number of management agents and MIH are by far the best. Our property has been affected by the cladding issue in London and over a period of 5 or more years they have done a fantastic job managing the cladding replacement project. Joe Starkey the property manager has been particularly effective in working through the multiple difficult issues and interfaces.”

D Dalton
 

…within weeks they were tackling major issues for our 22-flat building, from interior redecoration to securing funding for essential cladding work. Almost a year later, I couldn’t be happier with the service from Joe, Olivia, and the whole MIH team.”

H Davies
 

Cladding Remediation – a Case Study

IF YOU’D LIKE SUPPORT WITH A CLADDING REMEDIATION CLAIM OR ANY SAFETY MATTER RELATED TO YOUR BUILDING’S MANAGEMENT SPEAK TO OUR HELPFUL TEAM ON 020 3637 7968 OR EMAIL info@mihproperty.co.uk

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