"Official" Thread for all of us waiting for a cladding report...

davidmcn

T_A_B said:

I'm not sure what else we could do!

Did you try telling the lender in the first place that the valuer was simply wrong?

T_A_B

davidmcn said:

T_A_B said:

I'm not sure what else we could do!

Did you try telling the lender in the first place that the valuer was simply wrong?

Indeed we did.  I even sent them a nice email with the line from the Buildings Listed Status page.  
How do you think that went down with the surveyor?
"Excuse me you appear to have made a mistake on the survey that we paid you several hundred £'s to perform!
No I haven't.  I'm a qualified expert that would like to continue working for you so could not possibly admit to a mistake."

LP.online

MikeHu said:

Our freeholder got a quote from Paragon, who were happy to do the testing, but said they would be unable to sign an EWS1 due to not having adequate PI insurance. Which I gather is the same for a lot of people. So as a residents association we’ve told our freeholder not to go ahead with the Paragon testing (as it’s just cost for leaseholders, without helping us be able to sell / remortgage). We’ve asked them to search for alternate companies/surveyors who do have adequate cover.

My property is with Network Homes and we have recently received our EWS 1 Form since last week. Here's the link to Network Homes (https://www.networkhomes.org.uk/fireriskassessments/) and the EWS 1 Form for the residents to download to present it to the Lenders, although I'm not sure if any of the residents managed to successfully sell their flats or re-mortgage with their lenders.

stevekho

Well, I am in the same boat as a lot of people here. We are looking to acquire a Taylor Wimpey Apartment, built in 2016. We recently received from Barclays a request for a cladding report, which doesn’t exist. We sent them back a document received from TW but now I am worried we might buy a flat with building issues assuming they accept this like one page building plan (that shows materials - attached and it looks bad with all the aluminum). How do we make sure we wont have any issues in the future? With the report I assume.
Few questions hopefully people can help:
- We probably shouldn’t buy the house without the report right? It seems really serious.
- How long does those reports take to be produced? I have heard 3 - 6 months which seems really long. I believe TW is looking to hire one
Thank you so much

Celes

Really interesting thread. Just jumping in. I wouldn't have had a clue unless I'd seen the recent news stories about these fire reports. 

I'm buying a Bellway property under help to buy. My lender (Natwest) had not mentioned anything about requirements re cladding or external wall forms. Presumably as the exterior wall itself is all brick. Or if they did ask and were satisfied, they didn't tell me. 

For my own peace of mind, I ask Bellway if they have a fire safety certificate or had intrusive tests done. At first they deny deny deny. Then when I follow up with more detailed questions to determine the answer for myself re insulation (cladding not the only thing this new advice relates to) and they get offended and produce a fire engineer letter from Dec who had done an intrusive test. It revealed it did have Euroclass B insulation between the bricks, but the fire engineer was satisfied it still met the new advice regardless. They didn't bother to look at the balconies or other fixtures. But from planning docs I can see that it's all metal and concrete except for the decking on the balconies which are timber. It's not timber cladding, just the floor (not ideal, but if a problem in the future shouldn't be too costly to replace I expect).

My main concern is what happens if in the future they change the government advice to remove this insulation. And how likely that is to be as its Euroclass B, which although combustible is only low level. What is maybe more concerning is Bellways actions in potentially trying to hide this from me and now trying to hurry the sale or threaten I lose the property. They are fed up with questions. 

And how easy in the future it will be to get these proper reports for whenever I want to sell. The fire letter was done in Dec before the new ESW format and I presume wouldn't match this 1 page style either. And nor does it look at balconies either. Hmmm, this whole thing is a mine-field.  

Sensory

I've reserved a property on a new (recently completed) development, but Halifax requires the "new" cladding report before they will offer me a mortgage because the existing cladding report, stating there is no cladding, is insufficient. A new inspection was conducted about 3 weeks ago, and the developer is still waiting for the results. The sales office mentioned needing the removal of external brickwork so the internals (behind the brick?) could be inspected, which I guess is indicative of just how intrusively exhaustive these new requirements are.

Apparently buyers applying with Santander haven't had issues though (the existing cladding report is accepted), so I'm assuming it's luck of the draw depending on which surveyors are instructed.

BenPeters1986

I'm trying to buy a property which is 5 floors and under 18m but HSBC are insisting on the EWS1 form (which doesn't yet exist) and the building management company are pushing back on getting it done as its under 18m so technically not needed.  Does anyone know any other lenders who are less strict on insisting for the EWS1 for buildings below 18m?

stevekho

Sensory said:

I've reserved a property on a new (recently completed) development, but Halifax requires the "new" cladding report before they will offer me a mortgage because the existing cladding report, stating there is no cladding, is insufficient. A new inspection was conducted about 3 weeks ago, and the developer is still waiting for the results. The sales office mentioned needing the removal of external brickwork so the internals (behind the brick?) could be inspected, which I guess is indicative of just how intrusively exhaustive these new requirements are.

Apparently buyers applying with Santander haven't had issues though (the existing cladding report is accepted), so I'm assuming it's luck of the draw depending on which surveyors are instructed.

Be really careful. I wouldn't rush any purchase. You dont want to be liable to this problem

Sensory

stevekho said:

Sensory said:

I've reserved a property on a new (recently completed) development, but Halifax requires the "new" cladding report before they will offer me a mortgage because the existing cladding report, stating there is no cladding, is insufficient. A new inspection was conducted about 3 weeks ago, and the developer is still waiting for the results. The sales office mentioned needing the removal of external brickwork so the internals (behind the brick?) could be inspected, which I guess is indicative of just how intrusively exhaustive these new requirements are.

Apparently buyers applying with Santander haven't had issues though (the existing cladding report is accepted), so I'm assuming it's luck of the draw depending on which surveyors are instructed.

Be really careful. I wouldn't rush any purchase. You dont want to be liable to this problem

The building itself isn't the issue I should hope. It's a Redrow development which was finished late last year and people have been living there for over 12 months now.

The problem is multiple parties -- developers, freeholders, housing associations, lenders, surveyors -- choosing to follow different regulations and guidelines, resulting in this bureaucratic debacle. It's a property I plan to live in for at least 10-15 years (if not longer), and I'm certain by that point, the red tape surrounding cladding reports will be a single shade of red that everybody can recognise.

nimmse

Hello! 

First time buyer here trying to buy a flat in N London with some ‘limestone zinc’ cladding. Offer accepted in October 2019.
We have been informed that the landlord will now obtain an EWS1 but no idea on timescales yet. Has anyone had any experience with ‘limestone zinc’ cladding? Just want to know what to expect if the EWS1 ever materialises.
Many thanks,
N