London Tower cladding News

Fire Fears After UK’s Grenfell Disaster Set Back Wood Building, With Insurance as Factor

To get fire department approval for their six-story London office project made of strong engineered wood known as mass timber, Theo Michell and Richard Walker had to build a full-scale section of it in the UK, ship it to Poland …

UK Builders Face Ban Unless They Commit to Repairing Unsafe Cladding

Eleven property developers could be barred from the industry unless they sign a UK government contract to repair unsafe cladding on apartment blocks, according to Michael Gove, the secretary of state for housing. While 39 firms signed the commitment by …

Britain Proposes Reforms for Insuring Apartment Blocks After Deadly Grenfell Tower Fire

Britain’s financial watchdog has proposed reforming how apartment blocks are insured after the deaths of 72 people in the Grenfell Tower fire in London led to rocketing premiums on policies. The Financial Conduct Authority said on Wednesday that since the …

UK Regulator Pushes Insurers to Cut Premiums for Fire-Risk Apartments

Thousands of people living in high-rise apartments in Britain are set to get better deals on their property insurance following years of spiraling costs in the wake of the Grenfell Tower tragedy. The Financial Conduct Authority is expected to push …

UK Homebuilders Commit More Than £2B to Fix Fire Safety Issues

Developers responsible for building half of the new homes in the UK have committed more than 2 billion pounds ($2.6 billion) to help fix safety issues. So far 35 developers have made commitments to fix issues on buildings that are …

Major British Housebuilders Pledge to Remove Flammable Cladding

Four major British housebuilders have signed a government-backed safety pledge to remove flammable roof coverings from buildings which came into focus after the deadly Grenfell Tower fire in London. The country’s second-largest and third-largest homebuilders, Persimmon and Taylor Wimpey, said …

UK Orders Housebuilders to Pay $5B to Help Remove Dangerous, Flammable Cladding

Britain has ordered housebuilders to pay around $5.4 billion to help remove dangerous cladding from buildings following a deadly 2017 London fire that left government, developers and owners at loggerheads over how to make properties safe. The blaze at Grenfell …

UK Insurers Cautiously Willing to Underwrite Fire Safety Risks for High-Rise Recladding Projects: Survey

Insurers have revealed a cautious willingness to underwrite fire safety risks on new projects to remove defective cladding from high rise buildings. Around two-thirds of respondents to a survey by the International Underwriting Association (IUA) stated they would provide a …

UK Government’s Safety Plan for High-Rise Buildings Could Push Away Investors: Aviva

Aviva Plc, the UK insurer and asset manager, warned the government that new safety proposals for high-rise apartment blocks could steer institutional investors away from the residential property market. The company last year urged the government to consider how its …

Firms Involved in Building Work on London’s Grenfell Tower Take No Blame for 2017 Fire

Firms involved in building work on London tower bloc that caught fire have sidestepped any responsibility for the 2017 tragedy that killed 72 people, a lawyer for the inquiry said. As the second phase of an inquiry into the Grenfell …