From £43000 to £500,000, that is the potential difference in insurance premiums from one year to the next for these flat residents in Birmingham.
This is due to the cladding and increased risk this now provides.
There is also talk of a walking watch which will only add to the cost and frustration of residents.
Some residents saying this is consuming them and having a major effect on their lives.
My issue with all of this is how every building is being treated the same when it comes to the cladding issue. Of course if dangerous cladding has been identified then measures have to be taken to remove it and make the external facade of the building safe again.
However, there are so many more factors that need to be considered rather than treating every building exactly the same. For me, here are some of those factors:
Height of building and number of escape staircases
Proximity of flat kitchens to external wall
Provision of an AOV smoke clearance system
Provision of Part 6 detection systems in flats
Exact category of cladding in relation to risk
Maintenance of fire safety systems
This list is not exhaustive.
I simply feel more needs to be done to protect residents who are currently facing enormous levels of stress with this lockdown situation, no gardens and now ever mounting levels of debt. Being told the same flat you paid a small fortune for is currently worthless is just not reasonable, fair or in anyway justified.
Risk and hazard versus control measures and costs. Different problem, same equations.
For fire risk assessments in Birmingham please click here:
http://www.whalefire.co.uk/west-midlands/fire-risk-assessments-birmingham.aspx
