The government was under attack in the Commons today over its inactivity over Grenfell cladding in private blocks of flats. John Healey, Labour shadow housing secretary, made a powerful attack on Housing minister Kit Malthouse, asking “if the government cannot deal with this, what is it in office for?” Mr Malthouse said, “as a result […]
Brokenshire tells freeholders to pay up to remove Grenfell cladding. But how can that work?
The government is persisting with its argument that “building owners” must pay up to remove Grenfell cladding from their sites – even though the law has said that they don’t pay, leaseholders do. The statement today from Communities Secretary James Brokenshire says: “Local authorities will get the government’s full backing, including financial support if necessary, […]
Anonymous freeholders are the reliable long-term custodians of blocks of flats, Select Committee is told
And sector offers up yet another ‘code of practice’, this time for freeholders (whoever they may be when hidden offshore) One of the greatest fictions of the leasehold sector is that freeholders – even anonymous offshore ones – are the only reliable long-term stewards of a block of flats. The leasehold owners would be incapable, […]
Private Eye identifies yet another murky offshore landlord, Vuillard Holdings Limited, with Grenfell cladding
“Snakes and cladders” is Private Eye’s headline revealing Vuillard Holdings Limited as the latest landlord with Grenfell cladding on site. Owned by shy proprietors David and Patrick Kennedy, it owns the freehold of Victoria Wharf, two sites Limehouse in East London, where leaseholders have so far “been forced” to pay £165,000 for fire wardens. LKP […]
Government to ask Will Astor: who is the offshore freeholder at Heysmoor Heights (where ordinary families face £18k Grenfell cladding bills)?
The government said yesterday that it was going to haul in the agents for the Guernsey-based freeholders of Heysmoor Heights in Liverpool, which has Grenfell cladding, and demand to know who the freeholders are. LKP has highlighted the issue of Heysmoor Heights several times. Yesterday it was raised in the Commons by local Labour MP […]
Tchenguiz, Astor and offshore freeholders like Abacus Land 4 Limited should PUBLICLY meet over Grenfell cladding, MPs told
Sir Peter Bottomley urged government to hold a public meeting and call in Vincent Tchenguiz, William Waldorf Astor and the offshore owners of residential freeholders to resolve the Grenfell cladding issue. He told Communities Secretary Said Javid: “This week saw the first proper tribunal decision, regarding Citiscape in Croydon, which is owned by the Tchenguiz […]
Grenfell cladding crisis prompts the question: what are freeholders actually for?
Taxpayers will have to intervene over cladding, by issuing loans, to prevent hundreds of leaseholders losing their homes. But the crisis shows the pointlessness of current leasehold landlordism. What do they actually do, apart from having all the power over ordinary people’s homes and raising revenue for themselves? The Grenfell cladding crisis demonstrates to an […]
Fresh building is to pay £100,000 for fire marshals … with more Grenfell bills to come
The 120 leaseholders at the Fresh building in Salford have been ordered to pay the £100,000 fire warden bill after Grenfell cladding was found at the site. The decision last week comes before a similar concerning Citiscape, Croydon, scheduled next week, where the freeholder is Vincent Tchenguiz’s so-called Tchenguiz Family Trust, based in the British […]
John Healey says it’s ‘wrong’ for leaseholders to have to pay to remove Grenfell cladding
Labour shadow secretary for housing John Healey says it is ‘wrong’ that ordinary leaseholders are being dumped with huge bills to remove Grenfell Tower cladding from private blocks of flats. In a letter to Communities Secretary Sajid Javid (below) he writes: “It is surely wrong that residents have to pay for these essential works. Rather […]
Tchenguiz / FirstPort in court to dump £2m Grenfell costs on Citiscape leaseholders – despite Sajid Javid plea
UPDATE: FirstPort response, 6pm; Guardian report, 6.22pm; MailOnline report 23.40 Tchenguiz / FirstPort goes to court on February 6 to dump the £2 million costs of removing Grenfell Tower cladding at Citiscape, in Croydon, on the leaseholders. If successful, the leaseholders claim that they will have to pay up in full by March, while FirstPort […]
Will Heysmoor Heights leaseholders lose their homes to anonymous offshore freeholder if they cannot pay Grenfell bills?
Will Astor asked whether he has beneficial interest in Abacus Land 4 Limited The anonymous world of offshore ownership in the leasehold sector is placed in sharp relief by families facing £18,000 demands to remove Grenfell cladding and pay for fire marshals at Heysmoor Heights, in Toxteth in Liverpool. The freeholder is Abacus Land […]
‘Gargantuan’ Grenfell cladding bills from Astor and Tchenguiz on sites such as New Festival Quarter, The Times reveals today
The Times today reports how leaseholders are facing “gargantuan” bills for fire marshals and Grenfell cladding removal from the likes of Vincent Tchenguiz and Will Astor. Up to a 100 private blocks of flats are affected, it claims. “The situation has echoes of a leasehold scandal this year when construction companies sold houses with ground […]
