Landlords call on government to clarify cladding cash plans ‘as a matter of urgency’
Landlords have called on ministers to clarify if plans to force businesses to cover the costs of fixing unsafe cladding will apply to certain types of landlords too.
Housing secretary Michael Gove has outlined plans to force builders to cough up billions for remediations on dangerous buildings.
The government has said those who sublet properties because they cannot sell them due to their unsafe nature will be included in the scheme.
However, the National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA) has called for urgent clarity on whether buy-to-let landlords will be included too.
Ben Beadle, NRLA chief executive, said: “It makes no sense to be treating leaseholders who are landlords so differently to owner-occupiers. Both groups have faced the same problems, and both should be treated equally.
“We are calling on the Government to rectify this injustice as a matter of urgency.”
A spokesperson for the department for levelling up, housing and communities said it was bringing the building safety scandal to an end by “protecting leaseholders and making industry pay.”
They added: “It is not right that innocent leaseholders – including those who have moved out and now sublet their properties – should pay to remove dangerous cladding for which they were not responsible.
“We will explore whether this support should extend to other leaseholders, such as buy-to-let landlords.”