has secured the signatures of
the country’s biggest housebuilders on the developer remediation
contract, a major step toward ending the building safety scandal.
Thirty-nine developers – including the top ten biggest
housebuilders in the UK – all put pen to paper on the legally
binding document before yesterday’s deadline and irreversibly
committed themselves to fix unsafe buildings they developed or
refurbished.
Signatories represent a substantial proportion of the housing
market, and the signed agreements will raise at least £2 billion
for remediation costs.
This will come as a welcome relief for the thousands of innocent
leaseholders and tenants whose homes are covered by the contract.
Developers will be legally bound to pay to fix their unsafe
buildings and eligible developers who fail to sign will not be
able to operate freely in the housing market.
Following the contract deadline passing, Secretary of State for
Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, , said:
I have been clear all along – those that are responsible for this
crisis must pay. So, I am grateful to those developers who have
done the right thing today by signing this legally binding
contract. We will be monitoring their progress on remediation
very closely, to ensure this work is completed urgently and
safely. For those developers that have taken responsibility,
today offers the chance for a reset, so we can get on and build
more of the safe, decent and affordable homes we so desperately
need.
To those developers that have failed to sign the contract without
good reason, let me be very clear – we are coming after you. If
you do not sign, you will not be able to operate freely in the
housing market. Your investors will see that your business model
is broken – only responsible developers are welcome here.
But today should not be about developers, or about government.
Today is about innocent leaseholders. I want to put on record my
apology to all leaseholders for the years of misery and hardship
you have endured. You should never have been ignored, asked to
pay and let down.
Today marks a turning point – and an important step towards
resolving this crisis. There is so much more to do, but I will
always act to protect leaseholders and end this injustice.
Signatories are required to fix all life-critical fire-safety
defects in all English buildings over 11 metres they had a role
in developing or refurbishing. It also requires them to reimburse
the taxpayer where government funds have already paid for
remediation, with that money being used to make other buildings
safe faster.
For developers who have signed, their obligations start
immediately. Leaseholders will benefit from a common framework of
rights and responsibilities that will get their buildings fixed
without them having to pay, and developers will be required to
inform residents in affected buildings how they will be meeting
these commitments.
The Government will publish further information next week on how
developers will be prohibited from carrying out major development
or from receiving building control approval unless they sign and
adhere to the contract, using Building Safety Act 2022 powers.
Regulations will establish the Responsible Actors Scheme and set
out the criteria for eligibility and the conditions of
membership. Eligible developers who do not sign the contract will
not be able to join the Scheme and will be subject to the
prohibitions.
Further information:
- A list of developers who signed and did not sign the contract
is published here.
