We carry out building safety inspections to make sure our buildings meet the government's latest fire safety guidelines. Here, you’ll find guidance on our building inspections and the government’s advice notes.

Building inspections, advice notes and EWS1 certification

Following the tragic fire at Grenfell Tower in 2017, the government changed its building safety guidelines by issuing a series of advice notes.

These advice notes were intended to give building owners clear guidance about how to make sure their properties are constructed and maintained safely.

In 2019, mortgage lenders and valuers began asking people who applied for mortgages on properties in some apartment blocks to provide independent certification that the building met the requirements of Advice Note 14.

This advice note stated that all materials used in the construction of external walls should be of limited combustibility (or have passed certain safety tests) and have been installed and maintained correctly.

These requirements were not in place when the blocks were built.

In most cases, to prove that a building meets the new requirements, building owners must now go back and undertake complex intrusive inspections (which involve opening up multiple walls to check the materials they are made of), carry out safety tests, and in many cases complete remedial works.

Only then can they obtain the certification that mortgage lenders are asking for.

In December 2019, a new form called an EWS1 was introduced to try and help building owners provide the certification more easily. However, in most cases, this still requires the same process outlined above.

Unfortunately, in the short-term at least, this means that many building owners, including L&Q, can’t provide the certification that mortgage lenders are asking for.

In January, the government consolidated its Advice Notes into a single document. This did not fundamentally change most aspects of the previous guidance. However, it did say that it should now apply to apartment blocks of any height. 

Our approach to building inspections

As an early adopter of the government’s building safety proposals, we’ve committed £250 million to implement the recommendations from Dame Judith Hackitt’s review of building safety. The safety of our residents is our utmost priority.

We own several hundred buildings currently affected by the new guidance. We have completed our programme to remove ACM cladding (the type used on Grenfell Tower) from our high-rise buildings.

We are already undertaking inspections and carrying out remedial works to several buildings where we have identified issues with safety since the new guidance was issued.

Unfortunately, as we own so many buildings affected by the guidance, we're not able to inspect, test, and then carry out works on them all at once. Instead, we must prioritise our buildings based on risk. Our highest-risk buildings, defined by height, occupancy and building materials, among other factors, will be inspected first.

In September 2020, we provided residents in buildings that are 18 metres high or taller with a timed window in which their building will be inspected. We will be doing the same for our residents in buildings that are under 18 metres tall from April 2021.

Given the extent of the new guidance, the likelihood of most buildings requiring some degree of remedial work is high, and so we anticipate that our programme of inspections, testing and remedial works will take several years to deliver.

The government realises that this is the case for many building owners like L&Q, so along with our colleagues in the sector, including the National Housing Federation and the G15 (a group of the largest housing associations in London), we are calling on them to reassure residents that they will not need to foot the bill for expensive works, give building owners a reasonable timeframe in which to resolve any outstanding issues, and work with mortgage lenders to help them relax their stance and begin lending on affected properties again.

In the meantime, we would like to apologise to those residents who will need to wait for their building to be inspected – we know how difficult this situation is for you.

We hope to be able to provide you with more information and reassurance in the coming months, as more guidance and support are announced by the government.

In the meantime, we are offering various types of support to residents who may find themselves unable to staircase, remortgage or sell their home (see below). 

Apartment blocks safety

It does not automatically mean that a building is unsafe if the owner cannot provide the certification being requested by a mortgage lender, and it is not yet a legal requirement for a building to meet the conditions of the new building safety guidance.

However, lenders may still take the view that if independent certification cannot be provided to demonstrate compliance, they won’t offer a mortgage.

We would like to reassure residents that all our purpose-built apartment blocks:

  • received building control sign-off at the time of build
  • received approval from a licensed warranty provider after they were built
  • have an up-to-date fire risk assessment – we review these each year for our high-rise blocks (18 metres or above) and any recommendations are dealt with immediately or put into a programme of work to be completed as soon as possible 

Advice if you can’t sell, staircase or remortgage your home

We know that this issue is having a life-changing impact on residents who have had their plans to move, staircase or remortgage their homes disrupted because of the approach that lenders are taking and we want to do everything we can to offer support.

Some homeowners paid money to us to cover administration or application fees while trying to sell, staircase or remortgage their home. In certain circumstances, we may issue refunds for these fees to the homeowners we know have been refused a mortgage because of the new guidance.

In addition to this, if you began a sales or remortgaging process which was stopped from progressing by your or your buyer’s lender, we’ll waive our administration fees should you wish to begin this process again once the necessary certification has been obtained – please note that this offer does not include the resale nomination fee, which we are obliged to charge as a condition of your lease, however, it does include valuation and landlord’s enquiry pack fees. We will honour this for up to two years after certification is obtained.

If you believe you’re entitled to a refund and haven’t received one, please contact our customer service centre.

We are advising any residents who would like to remortgage, staircase or sell their home to seek advice directly from their lender or mortgage broker before beginning this process.

Finally, we have amended our subletting policy to allow this in properties where it has not been possible for residents to sell.

For more information about this please get in touch with our customer service centre.

Once again, we would like to apologise for any stress or upset that this situation is causing.

We would like to reassure you that your safety is our number one priority and that we and our sector partners will be working closely with the government to try and find a way forward which supports affected residents.