Pond Street Car Park Murder

[DancingDave]

Did this ever get resolved ?

MP calls for action to replace cladding on ‘unsafe’ Shefield tower block

Sheffield MP Paul Blomfield has called for Government action to make a tower block in the city safe for residents – and ensure those living in the building aren’t left to foot the bill.

By Sam Cooper

Tuesday, 12th March 2019, 3:50 pm

UpdatedTuesday, 12th March 2019, 3:58 pm

 

William Martin who has concerns about the cladding on the Metis tower-block at the corner of West Bar and Scotland Street in Sheffield. Picture: Steve Ellis

The Star reported last week on the Metis building at West Bar after an inspection of cladding in 2017 found it to be unsafe – but almost two years on it remains in place.

Resident William Martin, aged 30, said leaseholders feared they might have to foot the bill themsselves due to a lack of legislation, prompting Mr Blomfield to raise the issue in a meeting in Westminster Hall earlier today.

William Martin who has concerns about the cladding on the Metis tower-block at the corner of West Bar and Scotland Street in Sheffield. Picture: Steve Ellis

The Sheffield Central MP said: “A company called HomeGround represents the freeholder, Adriatic, and says that it is not the landlord and is therefore not responsible.

 

 

 

 

“It points fingers at the property management company, Fairways, which says that it is awaiting legal clarification on who is responsible. The suggestion is that the responsibility for the re-cladding will fall on those who own the flats, who face individual bills of upwards of £20,000 each.

Read More

Sheffield tower block resident: ‘We could face £40,000 bill each to replace cladding deemed unsafe after Grenfell Tower disaster’

“That is a disgrace—the residents cannot afford those sums. William says that he cannot get rid of the property or move on when he wants to, and that frankly, he feels trapped in a prison. That is not acceptable.

William Martin who has concerns about the cladding on the Metis tower-block at the corner of West Bar and Scotland Street in Sheffield. Picture: Steve Ellis

Edited November 30 by nikki-red

[Jeffrey Shaw]

I've not heard of any formal settlement but that might be because the various parties want to see what eventually happens:

a. at Grenfell tower; and

b. in any new legislation.

 

The problem is that there are many, many interested parties. 'Fault' is unlikely to rest on just one of them. And then there's the question of who will pay for rectification: original developer its contractors, their  respective sub-contractors,  the current freehold reversioner, any intermediate reversioners, the management company, the current tenants (leaseholders), their Chartered Surveyors and/or solicitors who acted when each tenant purchased, etc.

[DancingDave]

Very interesting, 

 

I was considering buying an apartment, but very wary of this block due to the reasons outlined in your reply. In my opinion the original developer should put the problem right, by replacing the defective cladding. If they cannot, because they are no longer in business, bankrupt or some situation like that. Then it passes to the Freeholder to rectify, they, through the management company, can recover this cost in the long term by financing the repairs through a bank, over say 5 or 10 years, and levying an annual charge on the leaseholders. Which makes the purchase onerous, knowing there is a large cost that could materialize at some point in the future. Talk is of up to 20 K  per unit- so that over 5 years is 4 K a year, even over 10 is 2K per year, when typical service charges are 1 K making it unsustainable for most people. 

Edited December 3 by DancingDave
sp

[topflat29]

Keep up  complaining to your local MP  when the man  is elected next week.