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In March’s 2020 Budget the government announced a new £1bn non-ACM cladding system remediation fund. This was established to replace unsafe cladding systems (typically certain types of metal composite and high pressure laminate cladding) on buildings of at least 18 metres in height.

If you are the owner, freeholder or have responsibility for a building which you believe comprises unsafe cladding, you have until 31st July to register for the scheme. Initial registration is not onerous, as technical assessments and more detailed work is only required once the building is logged into the system. It’s important to do this now if you’re responsible for a high rise residential building with unsafe cladding.

For the private sector, the Building Safety Fund is designed to meet the capital costs of removing and replacing unsafe, non-ACM cladding on high rise residential buildings.  In the social sector, where providers qualify, the government will meet the capital cost of the remediation to high rise buildings regulated as social housing. In both sectors, it looks like funding will be available for mixed use developments.

If you’re a resident, you cannot apply for the fund as the scheme is only open to building owners, freeholders or the ‘responsible entity’ for buildings that meet the following criteria:

  • The building contains unsafe non-ACM cladding as art of the external wall.
  • Where leaseholders would normally be obliged to pay for remediation through their service charge.
  • Social housing units held in blocks owned in the private sector will be eligible as part of the relevant application for that building.

With the right information to hand, the initial expression of interest form should take you less than an hour to fill in. Here are the key facts you need to note in the on-line application:

  • Your contact details
  • Details about the building for which you wish to register interest in the Building Safety Fund
  • Details about the Responsible Entity
  • Details about the External Wall System
  • Details about the remediation project

Here’s the link to the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government form.

https://www.research.net/r/bsfregistration

It could be the most important hour of form filling you’ve ever done.