The monthly Building Control Approval Application dataset January 2026 showed that the average approval timeframe for remediation projects in London was 30 weeks.

We recognise that processing times need to improve, and we will be bringing forward a Building Safety Regulator remediation improvement plan in the coming weeks detailing how we intend to work with the sector to achieve improvements.

Ten major mortgage lenders have signed the updated joint statement on cladding, confirming they will consider lending on properties in buildings 11 metres and above, where the building is in a remediation scheme or the property is protected by the leaseholder protections in the Building Safety Act and the leaseholder has completed a ‘Leaseholder Deed of Certificate’ to evidence it. Officials in my department engage with lenders individually should we receive evidence to suggest a signatory is not upholding the statement. The Government does not collect data on the number of shared owners impacted by building safety issues who have difficulty selling or remortgaging their properties.

The leaseholder protections give greater protection from costs to shared ownership leases. Specifically, holders of qualifying leases which were shared ownership leases as of 14 February 2022 have lower maximum contribution caps, proportional to their share of ownership of the property on that date. Government is not currently considering expanding the leaseholder protections further. The Leaseholder Protections balance the rights of leaseholders with those of those freeholders not connected with the developer who were equally innocent in the creation of the emerging defects.

Ten major mortgage lenders have signed the updated joint statement on cladding, confirming they will consider lending on properties in buildings 11 metres and above, where the building is in a remediation scheme or the property is protected by the leaseholder protections in the Building Safety Act and the leaseholder has completed a ‘Leaseholder Deed of Certificate’ to evidence it. Officials in my department engage with lenders individually should we receive evidence to suggest a signatory is not upholding the statement. The Government does not collect data on the number of shared owners impacted by building safety issues who have difficulty selling or remortgaging their properties.

The leaseholder protections give greater protection from costs to shared ownership leases. Specifically, holders of qualifying leases which were shared ownership leases as of 14 February 2022 have lower maximum contribution caps, proportional to their share of ownership of the property on that date. Government is not currently considering expanding the leaseholder protections further. The Leaseholder Protections balance the rights of leaseholders with those of those freeholders not connected with the developer who were equally innocent in the creation of the emerging defects.

Yes, of course. The issue of cladding defects is exceptionally important and, indeed, the subject of a debate later today, but so are non-cladding defects and protecting leaseholders from their impacts.

As of 31 May 2023, a total of 15 residential buildings over 18 metres in height in the London Borough of Hounslow have been either identified as still having unsafe Aluminium Composite Material (ACM) cladding awaiting removal or deemed eligible for the Building Safety Fund due to the presence of unsafe non-ACM cladding, but are yet to complete remediation. The Department does not hold data on the prevalence of external wall system life-safety fire risk in mid-rise residential buildings at local authority level.

Building safety faults can be wide ranging and varied in scope, and projects can vary considerably in the time taken to complete but we have now adapted the Building Safety Fund to make sure that works to address life safety fire risks are risk-driven, proportionate and progressed rapidly.

It is expected that the end-to-end process of remediating high-rise buildings will be faster in many cases. This is because interventions will be more tailored for individual projects, with resources focused on where they are needed, according to deliverability and risk to life.

The Department also launched a pilot scheme for affected medium-rise buildings in November, which alongside developer-led remediation will make sure there is a route to remediating all affected buildings in England over 11 metres.

The department has also provided over £8 million to support local authorities' enforcement action against building owners who are unacceptably delaying works to make their buildings safe.

As of 31 May 2023, a total of 15 residential buildings over 18 metres in height in the London Borough of Hounslow have been either identified as still having unsafe Aluminium Composite Material (ACM) cladding awaiting removal or deemed eligible for the Building Safety Fund due to the presence of unsafe non-ACM cladding, but are yet to complete remediation. The Department does not hold data on the prevalence of external wall system life-safety fire risk in mid-rise residential buildings at local authority level.

Building safety faults can be wide ranging and varied in scope, and projects can vary considerably in the time taken to complete but we have now adapted the Building Safety Fund to make sure that works to address life safety fire risks are risk-driven, proportionate and progressed rapidly.

It is expected that the end-to-end process of remediating high-rise buildings will be faster in many cases. This is because interventions will be more tailored for individual projects, with resources focused on where they are needed, according to deliverability and risk to life.

The Department also launched a pilot scheme for affected medium-rise buildings in November, which alongside developer-led remediation will make sure there is a route to remediating all affected buildings in England over 11 metres.

The department has also provided over £8 million to support local authorities' enforcement action against building owners who are unacceptably delaying works to make their buildings safe.

As of 31 May 2023, a total of 15 residential buildings over 18 metres in height in the London Borough of Hounslow have been either identified as still having unsafe Aluminium Composite Material (ACM) cladding awaiting removal or deemed eligible for the Building Safety Fund due to the presence of unsafe non-ACM cladding, but are yet to complete remediation. The Department does not hold data on the prevalence of external wall system life-safety fire risk in mid-rise residential buildings at local authority level.

Building safety faults can be wide ranging and varied in scope, and projects can vary considerably in the time taken to complete but we have now adapted the Building Safety Fund to make sure that works to address life safety fire risks are risk-driven, proportionate and progressed rapidly.

It is expected that the end-to-end process of remediating high-rise buildings will be faster in many cases. This is because interventions will be more tailored for individual projects, with resources focused on where they are needed, according to deliverability and risk to life.

The Department also launched a pilot scheme for affected medium-rise buildings in November, which alongside developer-led remediation will make sure there is a route to remediating all affected buildings in England over 11 metres.

The department has also provided over £8 million to support local authorities' enforcement action against building owners who are unacceptably delaying works to make their buildings safe.

As of 31 May 2023, a total of 15 residential buildings over 18 metres in height in the London Borough of Hounslow have been either identified as still having unsafe Aluminium Composite Material (ACM) cladding awaiting removal or deemed eligible for the Building Safety Fund due to the presence of unsafe non-ACM cladding, but are yet to complete remediation. The Department does not hold data on the prevalence of external wall system life-safety fire risk in mid-rise residential buildings at local authority level.

Building safety faults can be wide ranging and varied in scope, and projects can vary considerably in the time taken to complete but we have now adapted the Building Safety Fund to make sure that works to address life safety fire risks are risk-driven, proportionate and progressed rapidly.

It is expected that the end-to-end process of remediating high-rise buildings will be faster in many cases. This is because interventions will be more tailored for individual projects, with resources focused on where they are needed, according to deliverability and risk to life.

The Department also launched a pilot scheme for affected medium-rise buildings in November, which alongside developer-led remediation will make sure there is a route to remediating all affected buildings in England over 11 metres.

The department has also provided over £8 million to support local authorities' enforcement action against building owners who are unacceptably delaying works to make their buildings safe.

I refer the Hon Mem to the answer given to UIN 190514 on 28 June 2023. Information on the number of buildings under 11m where insurers require remediation as a condition of issuing insurance is not held centrally.

Information on the number of high-rise (over 18 metres) residential and publicly-owned buildings with Aluminium Composite Material (ACM) cladding systems unlikely to meet Building Regulations is available in the Building Safety Programme data release. Figures for the London Borough of Hounslow can be found here.

For high-rise residential buildings with unsafe non-ACM cladding, the Department is continuing to work with building owners to progress applications for the Building Safety Fund. Information on registrations to the Building Safety Fund (including by local authority) can be found here, showing a total of 30 registrations in Hounslow.

Information on the prevalence of external wall system life-safety fire risk in 11-18m residential buildings in England is available here. The Department's analysis of the estimate of the prevalence of external wall system life-safety fire risk in mid-rise residential buildings is not available at local authority or constituency level.

As of 31 December 2022, a total of 17 residential buildings over 18 metres in height in the London Borough of Hounslow and a total of 17 buildings in the Brentford and Isleworth constituency have been identified as still having unsafe ACM cladding awaiting removal or have been deemed eligible for the Building Safety Fund due to the presence of unsafe non-ACM cladding but are yet to complete remediation.

An error has been identified in the answer to the right hon. Member for Leeds Central (Official Report, 17 October 2022, Vol 720, c.369). A correction has been issued here: https://hansard.parliament.uk/Commons/2022-10-19/debates/C4E8D21A-52A0-4DAA-80AB-8D5F0DC6D29F/LevellingUpHousingAndCommunities#contribution-51382932-D6C4-40CE-A1EB-A8AC6B17FC68

Information and data on the remediation progress of high-rise (over 18 metres) residential and publicly-owned buildings with unsafe Aluminium Composite Material (ACM) cladding systems is available in the Building Safety Programme data release on gov.uk at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/aluminium-composite-material-cladding#acm-remediation-data.

For high-rise residential buildings with unsafe non-ACM cladding systems, the Department is continuing to work with building owners to progress applications for the Building Safety Fund at pace so more remedial works can begin as swiftly as possible. Information on registrations to the Building Safety Fund and the remediation progress of buildings proceeding to application can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/remediation-of-non-acm-buildings#building-safety-fund-registrations-private-sector-and-social-sector.

No estimate has been made for buildings with fire safety defects other than unsafe cladding.

An error has been identified in the answer to the right hon. Member for Leeds Central (Official Report, 17 October 2022, Vol 720, c.369). A correction has been issued here: https://hansard.parliament.uk/Commons/2022-10-19/debates/C4E8D21A-52A0-4DAA-80AB-8D5F0DC6D29F/LevellingUpHousingAndCommunities#contribution-51382932-D6C4-40CE-A1EB-A8AC6B17FC68

Information and data on the remediation progress of high-rise (over 18 metres) residential and publicly-owned buildings with unsafe Aluminium Composite Material (ACM) cladding systems is available in the Building Safety Programme data release on gov.uk at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/aluminium-composite-material-cladding#acm-remediation-data.

For high-rise residential buildings with unsafe non-ACM cladding systems, the Department is continuing to work with building owners to progress applications for the Building Safety Fund at pace so more remedial works can begin as swiftly as possible. Information on registrations to the Building Safety Fund and the remediation progress of buildings proceeding to application can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/remediation-of-non-acm-buildings#building-safety-fund-registrations-private-sector-and-social-sector.

No estimate has been made for buildings with fire safety defects other than unsafe cladding.

An error has been identified in the answer to the right hon. Member for Leeds Central (Official Report, 17 October 2022, Vol 720, c.369). A correction has been issued here: https://hansard.parliament.uk/Commons/2022-10-19/debates/C4E8D21A-52A0-4DAA-80AB-8D5F0DC6D29F/LevellingUpHousingAndCommunities#contribution-51382932-D6C4-40CE-A1EB-A8AC6B17FC68

Information and data on the remediation progress of high-rise (over 18 metres) residential and publicly-owned buildings with unsafe Aluminium Composite Material (ACM) cladding systems is available in the Building Safety Programme data release on gov.uk at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/aluminium-composite-material-cladding#acm-remediation-data.

For high-rise residential buildings with unsafe non-ACM cladding systems, the Department is continuing to work with building owners to progress applications for the Building Safety Fund at pace so more remedial works can begin as swiftly as possible. Information on registrations to the Building Safety Fund and the remediation progress of buildings proceeding to application can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/remediation-of-non-acm-buildings#building-safety-fund-registrations-private-sector-and-social-sector.

No estimate has been made for buildings with fire safety defects other than unsafe cladding.

Dame Judith Hackitt and other experts have recommended that we focus further public funding on remediating unsafe cladding from high rise buildings. Higher rise buildings are the least likely to safely evacuate in the event of a fire spreading via external cladding. 

There will be a small degree of flexibility to allow the fund to cover buildings that have been built just under the 18 metres threshold and have similar fire safety strategies as those above 18 metres.

The EWS1 process was designed by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors to support the valuation of flats in high-rise blocks. In some cases, this will require an assessment by a fire engineer. The Institution of Fire Engineers has informed MHCLG that there are around 291 chartered fire engineers.