Propertymark backs leaseholder building safety protections

Agency trade body Propertymark has backed calls for greater leaseholder protections as the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill proceeds through Parliament.

The proposed legislation is currently going through the House of Lords and the Earl of Lytton has put forward an amendment to establish a Building Safety Remediation Scheme.

This would ensure that remediation focuses on individuals responsible for building safety risks arising from non-compliant products or construction practices. 

In addition, it would ensure that the leaseholders or occupiers are not liable for any costs.

The scheme would be funded through a levy on the construction industry and would apply to buildings of all heights, not just those over 11 metres tall, as cladding protections currently do.

The amendment is part of the Polluter Pays Campaign, which aims to ensure that those responsible for causing building safety risks in the first place are held accountable for historic malpractice that has made some buildings unsafe.

Henry Griffith, policy and campaigns officer at Propertymark, said: “Current UK Government policy does not go far enough to support leaseholder protections which limits leaseholders by the size of buildings and the property that they own.

“Fundamentally, individuals who are not responsible for making buildings unsafe should not be charged with remediation costs.

“Proposals for a Building Safety Remediation Scheme would help lead to greater confidence in the buying and selling of property in high-rise buildings. In order to ensure that impacted property can continue to be bought, sold and rented it is vital that we have a system that holds those directly responsible to account.”