WIREDGOV

Government plans to end the cladding scandal are based on lazy and false assumptions that individual landlords are property tycoons.

That’s the warning from the National Residential Landlords Association following comments made by the Housing Secretary, Michael Gove, to the Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Select Committee recently (21 February 2022).

Speaking to MPs on the Committee, the Secretary of State has reiterated that private landlords who rent out more than one leasehold property will not be covered by the Government’s commitment that no leaseholder should have to pay to address dangerous cladding. He argued that this was because he did not want to support those who already had “significant means” to pay for remedial action themselves. Mr Gove further admitted that the Government’s plans are not perfect.

His comments mean that whilst multi-millionaires owning and living in a single luxury penthouse would be covered by the Government’s plans, landlords renting out more than one property for a pension would not be.

According to the Government’s own data, 94 per cent of private landlords rent property as an individual, with 44 per cent becoming a landlord to contribute to their pension.

Ben Beadle, Chief Executive of the National Residential Landlords Association, recently said:

“Michael Gove’s previous comments about ending the scandal of leaseholders paying to remove dangerous cladding now ring hollow.

“This is not about who does and does not have the means to pay. It is about fairness. No leaseholder, irrespective of how many properties they own, should be expected to foot the bill for dangerous and illegal cladding installed by someone else.”

“The Government needs to wake up to an injustice of its own making and make amends now.”

The Conservative Peer, Lord Naseby has tabled an amendment to the Building Safety Bill to ensure that all leaseholders are treated equally, irrespective of how many properties they own.

In addition, a parliamentary motion tabled by the Conservative MP, Sir Peter Bottomley which calls for buy-to-let landlords and owner-occupier leaseholders to be treated the same, has secured cross-party support including from Labour, Liberal Democrat and Green MPs.