WE'RE FLAT BROKE BUT FIRMS ARE STILL ON A VIP LIST

BUILDING firms linked to fire-risk tower blocks where thousands fear for their safety are STILL on a Government list of VIP developers and constructors.

- JOHN SIDDLE

The housing giants have priority access to prime public land while owners in flats they built fear huge repair bills in the wake of Grenfell.

A Sunday Mirror probe found 16 firms on the preferred partner's list for Homes England – the Government’s housing agency – previously built flats where safety issues have now been flagged.

All flats over 11 meters are being re-inspected. Of 417 high-rises with Grenfell-style ACM cladding, work is still to be completed on 165.

Another 3,000 high-rise buildings have other cladding that needs to be fixed and there are issues around flammable insulation, missing fire breaks and timber balconies. And thousands of unsafe buildings under 11 meters are excluded.

Nationally, around 1.3 million owners find themselves unable to sell or remortgage after their flats were identified as at risk. And as they cannot move up the housing ladder, that poses a major crisis for the wider property market.

Under leasehold laws, hundreds of thousands of flat owners face paying for repairs unless building owners, developers or the Government picks up the tab.

Many have been invoiced for huge sums, typically ranging from £40,000 to £115,000.

Developers argue their constructions were legally built, met standards at the time, and, in many cases, they do not own the freeholds.

While there is no obligation on developers to remedy the defects, leaseholders insist firms have a moral obligation and the cash to do the work. They also want to know why those linked to the crisis still have access to Homes England’s four-year Delivery Partner Panel 3 (DPP3) list.