Landlords back call by Parliamentary committee’s fire safety plans

News release from Residential Landlords Association (RLA)

Landlords are welcoming a call by a Parliamentary committee for the Government to fund certain fire safety improvements in privately owned residential blocks.

In its report responding to the Hackitt Review into building and fire safety, the Housing, Communities and Local Government Select Committee recommends that the Government should pay for the replacement of any cladding on existing buildings which had been permitted, but has been subsequently banned following the Grenfell Tower fire.

It argues that this funding should be made available to both public and private sector landlords.

The Committee also concurs with a proposal from the Residential Landlords Association (RLA) that the Government should introduce a low-interest loan scheme for private sector building owners, to ensure that remedial work is carried out as quickly as possible where unsafe cladding is found and needs to be removed.

With the RLA having argued that the Hackitt review represents a missed opportunity to focus on fire safety improvements across all types of property, and not just high rise flats, the Committee urges the Government to “take as wide an approach as possible to the applicability and implementation of the recommendations in the Final Report.”

David Smith, Policy Director for the Residential Landlords Association, said of the report:

“We welcome today’s report. Its pragmatic approach to the financing of the removal and replacement of unsafe cladding would ensure vital improvements are made quickly whilst legal debates continue about who should be responsible for replacing cladding found to be unsafe,

“We urge also the Government to take seriously the Committee’s call to take a more holistic approach to fire safety. For all the focus on high rise buildings, we need to learn from the tragedy at Grenfell to ensure the right safety regime is in place whatever size or shape of housing people live in.”

Source of information RLA

Allen Walkey

Highly experienced businessman with a successful career in property sales and investment both in the UK and abroad. Now a freelance writer and blogger for the property and Investment Industry, keeping readers up-to-date with changes and events in a rapidly changing world.

You May Also Enjoy

Estate Agent Talk

The ‘Rentvesting’ Strategy: Owning a Home Where You Can’t Afford to Live

Oh, the ever-evolving property market. Keeps us wondering: how will I keep my head above water? And this is how a war-like property strategist is born. One of these savvy strategies is called: rentvesting. This is the art of renting where you want to live and buying where it fits your wallet.  Getting your foot…
Read More
Rightmove logo
Breaking News

Momentum gathers for retail investment as Bank Rate cut again

Demand to invest in retail property was up by 30% in Q3 2025 compared to the same period in 2024 The office market is also continuing to recover, with investment demand up by 31% over the same period, and leasing demand up by 7% Overall demand to invest in commercial property was up by 11%…
Read More
Breaking News

Surge in first-time buyers’ preference for cheaper homes subsides as market adjusts to April’s stamp duty changes

Proportion of first-time buyers purchasing properties under £300k decreased to 64.3 per cent in September, following a peak of 72.0 per cent in May after changes to stamp duty thresholds Detached and semi-detached homes now make up nearly two-thirds of non-first-time buyer purchases, as ‘second-steppers’ look for long-term security Spending on mortgage and rental payments…
Read More
Breaking News

UK House Price Index summary: August 2025

The average price of a property in the UK was £273,000 The annual price change for a property in the UK was 3.0% The monthly price change for a property in the UK was 0.8% The monthly index figure (January 2023 = 100) for the UK was 104.6   Colleen Babcock, Rightmove’s property expert, says:…
Read More
Breaking News

Breaking Property News 22/10/25

Daily bite-sized proptech and property news in partnership with Proptech-X.   Why software audits matter for Proptechs In today’s hyper-competitive real estate technology landscape, scaling too quickly, or operating with outdated or inefficient systems can expose firms to risks far beyond lost opportunities. That’s why an increasing number of organisations are turning to a specialised…
Read More
Estate Agent Talk

Demand for project properties soars versus general market

New research from The Property DriveBuy reveals that demand for fixer-upper properties is easily eclipsing overall market demand as homebuyers demonstrate a strong appetite for renovation projects amidst ongoing affordability restrictions due to stubbornly higher mortgage rates and slow but steady house price growth. Across England, there are currently an estimated 601,525 homes listed for…
Read More