Inside Suffolk's building safety crisis: A bleak winter
With just two days to Christmas, leaseholders affected by the crisis are scrambling to pay their mounting service charge and cladding remediation bills
Last updated 3rd Jan 2022
With Christmas just around the corner, residents of unsafe homes in Suffolk have just one wish, some reassurance about what support is coming their way.
Alex Dickin formed the leasehold action group Ipswich Cladiators in December last year when he was handed down an exorbitant service charge bill that he could scarcely afford.
"I'm going to accept every invitation to go to someone else's house this Christmas, in order to spend as much time away from my apartment as possible"
He wanted to bring together others who were affected and campaign, alongside action groups from other parts of the country, for the Government to take charge and remove the burden of remediation off leaseholders' pockets.
In the year since, does he believe anything has changed?
"We started the year with a £1.5 billion Government Building Safety Fund. We now have £5 billion in that fund. It's a big improvement, but its not enough."
Mr Dickin is a resident of Cardinal Lofts in Ipswich. In the aftermath of the horrific fire in Grenfell Tower in 2017, the building became one of many in the town which was declared unsafe owing to the flammable cladding that surrounds it.
As a result, he and other residents have had to pay for a waking-watch service, rectify various internal defects in the building that amplify the risk of fire and high rates of insurance.
"The financial pressure is possibly the worst aspect of this crisis. Yes, we're living in unsafe buildings. Yes, we can't move on and sell our properties but the financial pressure is crippling.
"And it's not just about that big cladding remediation project on the outside of the building. There are lots of these other issues.
"My normal service charge is about £1600 a year. For 2021, it was £13,000.
"That is an example of the dramatic rise that can happen, and that's even before we look at that final bill for the cladding remediation. Can your readers imagine having a £13,000 bill sitting there on your account as you head into the Christmas and New Year period."
Financial constraints aren't the only problems for affected leaseholders this time of the year. "Being a resident and owning a flat which has been described as fireball when unsafe is extremely embarrassing. You can imagine that I'm not in a position where I'm going to happily invite friends and family round for a meal or a celebration.
"Instead, I'm going to accept every invitation to go to someone else's house, in order to spend as much time away from my apartment as possible.
"I try to stay happy and joyful around Christmas but there are many times where it's tough to put that smile on and to enjoy myself knowing the situation that I'm in."
To make matters worse, the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Michael Gove hasn't come through with a plan to help leaseholders despite saying in Parliament that he would announce new measures to provide them some relief "shortly".
This was in November, and given that Parliament is now adjourned for Christmas, no such announcement is expected this year. Mr Dickin says, "It hurts to have that promise put forward in front of your eyes as if to say that there's gonna be some good news on the horizon and then have no announcement and no information.
"We're left in the same position, as we were in November, without a plan to really look ahead to in the new year."
When asked if he's confident that the Government can help solve the crisis, he says no.
"I don't believe that Boris Johnson or the Cabinet cares about leaseholders.
"They've promised on 19 different occasions at the despatch box in Parliament that leaseholders should not pay for the cost of fire safety defects. However, their words have not turned into action."
He welcomes the support offered by Conservative MPs Stephen McPartland, Royston Smith and Tom Hunt (who we spoke to yesterday) and says that he appreciate the work they're doing to help leaseholders. "But we need so much more", he adds.
Despite these trials and tribulations, Mr Dickin stands by his decision to buy the apartment, explaining that he and many other leaseholders did the right thing by buying a house, paying taxes on it and contributing to the system.
"I just wish that they (the Government) did care and helped me and so many others out of this situation, so that we can continue moving up that property ladder and continue being hardworking taxpayers."
A spokesperson from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities told us earlier this week: "It is unacceptable and unfair that leaseholders are facing excessive bills – they are innocent parties in this and we recognise the impact it can have on their mental health.
“Building owners and industry must make buildings safe without passing on costs to them. As the Secretary of State has made clear, we are committed to ensuring leaseholders are supported and we will be setting out further proposals in due course.
“Our Building Safety Bill, which marks the biggest improvements to building safety in 40 years – will bring more rights and protections for residents, and make homes safer across the country.”