Building safety

We started inspecting all our buildings last year to make sure the external parts of the building (such as balconies and cladding systems) meet the post-Grenfell enhanced fire safety standards. Where they do not meet this fire safety standard, we are looking at what is needed to correct this.

We started work on our high-rise buildings (over 18m in height) in the middle of 2020 to remove and replace the cladding systems and any timber decking on the balconies along with other additional internal works.

We have now completed surveying our mid-rise buildings (11–18m in height). We have created an outline programme for these properties and have written to the first customers to let them know what work will be carried out and over the course of the next few months we will finalise the remainder of this programme and be able to share expected start dates with affected customers.

We are in the process of surveying our low-rise buildings (11m or less in height) and expect to complete this in the coming months. Once this has completed, as with the 11 – 18m blocks, we will devise a programme and communicate this with affected customers as soon as possible.

We recognise that leaseholders are the very last people whom the cost of this work should fall on. We do not want to cause concern so we’re committed to keeping you informed along the way with regular updates and dedicated means of contact so you can ask questions.

With all of this in mind we do want to start work as soon as we are able to do so. To do this we may have to engage the leaseholder consultation process which will allow us to recover costs from leaseholders. We want to be very clear that, right now, this is only a precaution to protect our legal position in recovering costs from third parties or government funding. If you receive notification under this process, it is about involving you in the process of selecting a contractor and being clear about costs, it’s not an indication of whether we have taken the decision to charge.

Abri has committed £63m to be spent on this work over the next five to seven years. We intend to recover as much of this as we can from contractors, building warranties and government funding where it is available.

In buildings where it is applicable, we are looking at a legal route against the contractors who originally built the homes. Where possible, we will make claims on any National Housing Building Council (NHBC) policies that are still valid. We will also look to see if there is any funding available from government grant and loan schemes.

Only when we have exhausted all possible funding streams will Abri even consider whether it needs to seek contributions from leasehold owners and this would be a last resort for us.

If we reach the point where we do need to consider charging leaseholders, we will be open and talk to our leaseholders about this.

The External Wall System (EWS) surveys were introduced to satisfy mortgage lender’s requirements for information about whether a building has combustible wall fixtures, such as cladding.

These surveys are also limited in nature as they only look at external wall systems and are not a comprehensive review of the building.

The availability of an EWS1 form does not mean properties can then be sold easily. In some cases it will only confirm to lenders that the property will not be acceptable security to them.

An EWS1 is given once a building has been surveyed and found to be compliant. Due to a shortage of qualified surveyors and engineers nationwide, it is very difficult to get an EWS1 form.

The EWS1 form was intended to make this process easier. Unfortunately, the technical expertise to certify the forms meant that there were only a small number of qualified people to carry out the surveys compared to the number of buildings that needed surveying. For many of these companies, due to the reliance placed on these forms their insurers refused to allow them to sign the forms. As a result, the waiting lists have been long.

To speed up the process Abri decided it would investigate its own buildings. Working with highly reputable fire engineers (but removing the need to sign an EWS1 form) we have identified all buildings where work may be needed to bring them into line with the post-Grenfell enhanced safety standards as well as other properties that needed further investigations.

Our number one priority is the safety of our customers and we have committed to spending £63m over the next five to seven years to deal with this work. As we have previously stated, it is our intention to explore every means possible to recover as much of this amount from contractors, building warranties and government funds as possible.

Due to the size of this investment the work will need to be spread over multiple years and we are creating a priority list to help us plan that programme.

We realise this will prolong the uncertainty for some and we’re really sorry about this, but we need to make sure we are thorough in our approach and tackle the highest priority properties first.

Some buildings do need an EWS1 form where they meet the follow criteria:

• Five storeys or more tall with either:
  • 25% or more of the wall covered in cladding; and/or
  • Vertically stacked balconies with wooden floors.
• Four storeys or fewer with any ACM/HPL/MCM cladding

Buildings that have wooden cladding on the outside walls or have other non-combustible cladding do not currently require an EWS1 form.

At this stage it is hard to say in general terms as it depends on the size of the building, the amount of cladding and how easy it is to remove and replace. As we draft the more specific plans for each building we will let customers know of timeframes as soon as we can.

A Waking Watch involves employing people round the clock to monitor a building for any signs of fire and, if fire is detected their job is to ensure the building is evacuated and direct emergency services to the building.

In buildings with a communal fire alarm system, effective fire doors and fire doors in corridors to compartment different parts of the building a Waking Watch is not required.

Should it be necessary to put a Waking Watch in place we will communicate the need for this to all affected customers in advance of putting one in place.

This is communicated to all customers and a further copy can be found on the notice board in the communal areas of the building.

Once the work has been completed on each building our contractors will make sure that a fully certified fire engineer carries out an assessment and a properly completed EWS1 form is produced for the building.

For those customers whom we have written to you will hear from us regularly as work progresses on your building. For our other customers we will keep you up to date with more detailed information as soon as we are able to do so.

If you want to contact us please use the dedicated email address: buildingsafety@abri.co.uk

You can also speak to your Housing Officer or call Abri if you have any concerns on 0300 123 1 567, we’re open from 8.30am-5pm, Monday-Friday and until 7pm on Thursday