“It’s like prison.” Stacey lost five sales because of unsafe cladding. Even after a reassessment, high ground rent & service charges mean she remains trapped. She’d now accept £1 to escape. This is what political failure looks like. @andyburnham.bsky.social inews.co.uk/inews-lifest...

I've been stuck unable to sell my leasehold flat for eight years - it’s like prison

Stacey Lofthouse cannot sell her two-bed home as a result of high service charges and ground rent – she's tried everything

inews.co.uk

In November, a lobbying firm approached me and asked to pay me to write articles critical of the Building Safety Regulator for newspapers. Filmed undercover, their staff admitted secretly paying reporters for copy in British newspapers friendly to their clients: www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

Lobbying giant filmed offering reporter payment for flattering client coverage in national press

Exclusive: Guardian investigation of CT Group uncovers practice that appears to seek hidden influence over public opinion

theguardian.com

Thousands of shared owners are trapped in homes they cannot sell or are struggling with unaffordable housing costs. Yet instead of confronting this growing crisis head-on, the government is merely planning to rearrange the deckchairs on the Titanic. 🖇️ Link in next post

Waiting to hear who they pick as Building Safety Minister. That will tell us all we need to know.

Abandoned by #Labour... Eh, @vickyfoxcroftmp.bsky.social ? #BuildingSafetyCrisis #Trapped

End Our Cladding Scandal@eocs-official.bsky.social · 2w ago

Two years under Labour. Soon, a fourth Building Safety Minister. An unfit-for-purpose Remediation Bill. Excuses from senior MHCLG officials. Leaseholders still trapped. We'll try to have hope, @andyburnham.bsky.social. But hope only gets you so far.

Two years under Labour. Soon, a fourth Building Safety Minister. An unfit-for-purpose Remediation Bill. Excuses from senior MHCLG officials. Leaseholders still trapped. We'll try to have hope, @andyburnham.bsky.social. But hope only gets you so far.

🗨️ Lord Young: "A dedicated allocation to support the buyback of unmortgageable shared ownership properties within the current Social and Affordable Homes Programme is the solution." www.insidehousing.co.uk/news/lords-b...

Lords back review of shared ownership to help address ‘horror’ of living in unsellable and unmortgageable homes

The House of Lords has backed an amendment to the Social Housing Bill calling for a comprehensive review of the shared ownership model in the first year.

insidehousing.co.uk

Yesterday, peers called for a review of shared ownership and demanded buybacks for trapped shared owners. They had some blunt words about how housing associations operate. The Minister resisted scrutiny. Peers voted. The Government was defeated. Decisively. 🖇️ Link in post below.

🚨 The MHCLG remediation programme has been downgraded from AMBER to RED. Successful delivery now "appears to be unachievable". Two years in govt & Labour is going backwards. Hundreds of thousands remain trapped in unsafe homes. And they call this change? www.constructionnews.co.uk/buildings/bu...

Cladding remediation programme 'appears to be unachievable', NISTA says

The National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority (NISTA) has downgraded the government's cladding remediation programme to a red rating,

constructionnews.co.uk

⚠️ Extreme heat Remediation work means some residents can't fully open windows or access balconies, making it impossible to cool and ventilate homes overnight. We've joined @eocs-official.bsky.social and @nonqualifyinglh.bsky.social in calling on Ministers to act. ⬇️

Inside Housing @insidehousing.bsky.social · 4w ago

Today’s ministerial statement on building safety is a small step forward, but not the fair solution leaseholders need. No more piecemeal schemes, delays or costs for leaseholders. Homes must be safe and sellable for everyone. Our response ⬇️ endourcladdingscandal.org/posts/our-re...

Our response to today's Ministerial Statement on Building Safety - End Our Cladding Scandal

Today’s ministerial statement is a small step forward, but we fear these are more incremental measures that will not enable Labour to put an end to the building safety crisis any time soon.

endourcladdingscandal.org

“Trapped and overwhelmed… no end in sight.” 5+ years in limbo. Another example of the failing Developer Remediation Contract and lack of grip. Ministers and senior officials offer warm words while searching for excuses not to do the right thing. And they call this "change”?

Inside Housing @insidehousing.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Nine years since Grenfell. Keir Starmer said its legacy would be one of the defining changes of his premiership. That promise has not been kept. Hundreds of thousands remain trapped in unsafe, unsellable homes. We are asking for an urgent meeting. Read our letter ⬇️

9 years since Grenfell. Today, and every day, we remember the 72 lives lost. We stand with the bereaved, survivors and residents in their fight for truth, accountability and lasting change. Join @grenfellunited.bsky.social today at 6pm, Notting Hill Methodist Church to demand justice 💚

⏳ It's now nearly 11 months since Labour promised funding for buildings under 11m. The details have still not been published. With every day that passes, more ordinary people face financial ruin. Another broken promise.

End Our Cladding Scandal@eocs-official.bsky.social · 5mo ago

Nearly 8 months since Labour promised funding for buildings under 11m. Details due last September. Still missing. ⏳ Meanwhile leaseholders in “low-rise” blocks are getting life-changing bills for problems they didn’t cause. History repeating itself. Change? What change?

The Remediation Bill is too little, too late. A piecemeal approach won't help leaseholders trapped in unsafe, unsellable homes - or deliver the change Labour promised. We need decisive action, not more half-measures.

🗨️ "Being trapped isn't necessary just a physical thing. There is a financial entrapment, there is a mental entrapment, there is an emotional entrapment to this. I am absolutely furious about it." swlondoner.shorthandstories.com/it-feels-lik...

"It feels like being trapped"

Almost nine years on from the Grenfell tragedy, leaseholders across London are still in limbo

swlondoner.shorthandstories.com

Our statement following the publication of the Grenfell criminal investigation timeline today 💚

🗨️ @umakumaran.bsky.social "Two big companies tasked with keeping people safe and housing people have not put residents first. It's embarrassing." www.bbc.com/news/article...

London 2012 Olympic village 'tainted' by unsellable flats

High service charges and fire safety issues leave many in Stratford's East Village unable to sell up.

bbc.com

The bill is silent on the key issues Labour spoke so strongly about in opposition: non-cladding defects, non-qualifying leaseholders, the failing Developer Contract, weak risk assessment standards, extortionate buildings insurance & shared ownership. www.insidehousing.co.uk/comment/comm...

The King’s Speech: housing resolutions decades in the making

Inside Housing columnist Jules Birch analyses the key policy takeaways for the social housing sector from the announcements in this week’s King’s Speech.

insidehousing.co.uk

This. It's almost 9 years since we found out we have ACM cladding. It's still on the building and we still rely on neighbours in our block's WhatsApp group to find out about remediation plans.

The Shared Owners' Network@sharedownersnet.bsky.social · 3mo ago

We shared the frustration felt by many shared owners, including delays in accessing fire safety documents, slow progress on remediation, and a lack of clear information throughout the process.

We shared the frustration felt by many shared owners, including delays in accessing fire safety documents, slow progress on remediation, and a lack of clear information throughout the process.

We remember our loved ones today and every day. Next month is the last anniversary with any part of Grenfell Tower remaining. Join us in solidarity to remember those we lost, and demand Justice for the 72 💚

It was a disappointing meeting. This government is still refusing to tackle the core issues trapping shared owners in the building safety crisis. 🧵

End Our Cladding Scandal@eocs-official.bsky.social · 3mo ago

Today we met with @samanthadixonmp.bsky.social ahead of tomorrow’s King’s Speech. The Remediation Bill is simply too little, too late. It won't make homes safe, protect leaseholders or speed up remediation any time soon. Labour is still failing to get a grip on the building safety crisis.

Leaseholders and residents need action now. Labour's Remediation Bill proposals will do little to make a difference any time soon, and will not meet Labour’s manifesto commitments on building safety.

Inside Housing @insidehousing.bsky.social · 3mo ago

Today we met with @samanthadixonmp.bsky.social ahead of tomorrow’s King’s Speech. The Remediation Bill is simply too little, too late. It won't make homes safe, protect leaseholders or speed up remediation any time soon. Labour is still failing to get a grip on the building safety crisis.

Another Keir Starmer reset. But the political chaos continues. Hundreds of thousands of leaseholders remain trapped, desperate for “change”. The long-delayed Remediation Bill will be in Wednesday's King’s Speech. Will Labour finally fix this scandal - or break another promise?

📈 30 shared owners facing a 21× increase in buildings insurance. Service charges have surged from £205 to £614 a month. And this is what the Government calls "affordable housing."

Ben Lynch@benlynch07.bsky.social · 4mo ago

More leasehold nightmares: Earl's Court residents challenging drastic hike to insurance costs over flammable cladding www.mylondon.news/news/west-lo...

Our latest update: Remediation Bill, Building Safety Regulator, under-11m buildings, Interim Measures Alarm Fund, and Shared Owners’ Network. Change won’t happen without you. Take action now 👇 endourcladdingscandal.org/posts/act-no...

Act now to make change happen - End Our Cladding Scandal

The 22 months or so since Labour came to power have not led to anything close to the “change” all innocent leaseholders need and deserve, but we have taken some comfort from the leadership and action ...

endourcladdingscandal.org

"Getting mortgages for flats in buildings that need fire safety repairs has been a challenge, while there is understandable reluctance to buy flats where there may be future repair costs. ... Some existing owners have been trapped in unsellable flats for years" ⏳⏳⏳ www.thetimes.com/life-style/p...

Why are there so many flats for sale?

The Renters’ Rights Act, older first-time buyers, high mortgage rates and rocketing service charges mean there is a surfeit of apartments on the market

thetimes.com