Fire safety fears of residents in high-rise flats highlighted in new survey

A survey carried out by the Greater Manchester High-Rise Task Force, which was set up by the Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham following the fire in London, provides evidence of the impact of the financial worries faced by home owners in buildings with fire safety deficiencies across Greater Manchester.

Residents reported significant stress about the bills they face to make their homes safe, with some receiving demands of up to £30,000 in addition to large increases in service charges.

More than half of owner-occupiers say they are suffering from increased service charge costs, with one revealing their bill had risen from £90 to £480 per month to cover cladding replacement – an increase of 433 per cent.

Service charges vary by property and some leaseholders are being asked to pay to fund fire safety improvements on their buildings, while others are having to collectively pay for a "waking watch", which involves their corridors being patrolled overnight by watch officers.

These stressful issues even extended to selling properties, with many leaseholders unable to sell because lenders were unwilling to offer mortgages to new buyers without obtaining a building’s fire safety certificate.

In the survey, residents said fire safety risks and the financial costs were affecting their mental health. Seven in 10 residents living in high-rise buildings said they were worried about a fire in their building.

Residents detailed their increasing levels of anxiety, difficulty sleeping and explained how trapped they felt, as well as expressing the strain their situation continues to have on their personal lives and relationships.

One owner-occupier said: “We have now been told that our property is worth zero which has had a very damaging effect on our relationship and [my] mental health.”

Another resident said: “I have been trying to sell my apartment for the past 15 months. Two buyers have backed out of the sale as there was no cladding report. I’m still finding it hard to sell my apartment and move on.”

On Tuesday, a group of affected residents from Greater Manchester will take their concerns to Parliament to lobby Government, backed by Mr Burnham and City Mayor of Salford Paul Dennett.

They will highlight the human impact of the ongoing crisis and share their experiences and concerns.

Mr Burnham, who was previously MP for Leigh, said: “In Greater Manchester we are doing all we can to support our residents living in high-rise buildings. We are the first city-region to complete a survey of this kind documenting the perspective of residents living in high-rise buildings. This report provides new insights into the fire safety concerns and financial worries faced by residents every day.

“This survey demonstrates why we are bringing together residents on February 25 for a lobby of Parliament. We will be using this survey as further evidence to demonstrate why the Government needs to take action in the forthcoming budget to support these residents. Leaseholders are living a nightmare at the moment and should not be left in this limbo a moment longer.”

Mr Dennett said: “As chair of the High-Rise Task Force, I believe this survey provides a clear evidence base for the issues we have repeatedly raised about the ongoing struggles that residents are still burdened with over two-and-a-half years after the terrible fire at Grenfell Tower. It encapsulates the scope of the concerns residents are dealing with - many are unable to sell, insure or re-mortgage their homes and are faced with bankrupting bills just to make their homes safe from fire.

“As a task force we want to make sure that people are safe and feel safe in their homes, we will be using the findings of this survey to inform the work of the task force to ensure we are doing everything we can to support residents.

“However this is a regulatory crisis on an industrial scale, the Government must own their rhetoric and prevent leaseholders continuing to pay the price through no fault of their own. Which is why we are holding a lobby of Parliament on February 25.”