The Building Safety Act 2022 set out a framework to remediate unsafe cladding on UK residential buildings in the aftermath of the Grenfell Tower fire. Nearly four years on, remediation is progressing — but unevenly. Thousands of UK flat owners remain caught between mortgage lenders who won’t lend on unremediated buildings and a remediation process that can take years per block.
This post summarises where the Building Safety Act programme stands in 2026, the specific challenges affected leaseholders face, and the realistic options for selling during the waiting period.
What the Building Safety Act does
The Act, enacted in April 2022 and progressively commenced from 2023, introduced:
- Developer funding obligations — the major housebuilders signed legally binding commitments to remediate buildings they constructed. Around 50 developers collectively signed the Developer Remediation Contract.
- The Building Safety Fund — government funding for remediation of buildings where the original developer cannot pay or cannot be identified.
- The Cladding Safety Scheme — expanded funding for lower-rise buildings (11–18m) where original developer doesn’t participate.
- Leaseholder protections — caps and exemptions on the amount leaseholders can be required to contribute to remediation costs, dependent on property value and leaseholder circumstances.
- Building Safety Regulator — a new regulator with oversight of the higher-risk building regime.
Where the programme stands in 2026
Based on published Building Safety Regulator data and industry reports:
- Identified buildings (18m+ with life-critical fire safety defects): approximately 1,500 buildings in England.
- Remediation started: approximately 75% of identified buildings.
- Remediation completed: approximately 55–60%.
- 11–18m buildings (expanded scope): identification ongoing through the Cladding Safety Scheme; remediation lagging the 18m+ programme by approximately 18 months.
Progress is faster than 2023 projections suggested but slower than leaseholder groups had hoped.
The mortgage market position
Despite remediation progress, mortgage lenders remain cautious on affected buildings:
- EWS1 B1 rating (low risk, no remediation needed): mortgageable across most lenders.
- EWS1 B2 rating (high risk, remediation required): effectively unmortgageable until works complete.
- No EWS1 issued: case-by-case; many lenders decline.
- Remediation in progress: some lenders are beginning to accept “in-progress” remediation as mortgageable, but this is inconsistent across providers.
The practical effect: if you’re trying to sell a flat in an affected building today, the open-market buyer pool is significantly narrowed. Some leaseholders have been unable to sell for 3+ years.
Options for affected leaseholders in 2026
Option 1: Wait for remediation
For leaseholders in buildings where remediation is underway and funded, waiting is a reasonable option. The completion of remediation typically restores mortgage availability within 3–6 months of works finishing. Timescales vary widely; some remediation programmes stretch across multiple years.
Option 2: Sell to cash buyer
Cash buyers aren’t subject to mortgage lender requirements. We buy in buildings with B2-rated cladding, buildings awaiting remediation, and buildings where remediation is in progress. Our pricing reflects the remediation uncertainty — typically a 8–20% discount to the hypothetical fully-remediated value — but we can complete in 7–14 days where a mortgaged sale is impossible.
See our sell unmortgageable property page for the broader context, or the EWS1 form glossary entry for the technical detail.
Option 3: Rent out until remediation completes
If your financial circumstances allow, letting the property to a tenant while remediation progresses is an option. With the 2026 Renters’ Rights Act now in force, the landlord obligations are more substantial than they were — but the property can produce rental income during the waiting period.
Option 4: Specialist auction
A handful of UK auction houses have built competence in cladding-affected stock, with buyer networks specifically comfortable with remediation risk. This is a viable route for some properties though typically at further discount to cash buyer pricing.
Leaseholder costs and caps
A specific point of concern: while the Building Safety Act caps what leaseholders can be charged for fire safety defects, “non-qualifying leaseholders” (typically those with multiple properties above certain value thresholds) can face significant remediation contributions. The cap framework is complex; if you’re selling an affected flat, your buyer’s solicitor will typically want specific warranties about your current contribution position.
What to check about your building
If you own a flat in a building 11m+ tall and haven’t recently checked the remediation status, useful to confirm:
- EWS1 status (from your management agent or the freeholder).
- Building Safety Fund or Developer Remediation Contract inclusion — where the funding is coming from.
- Remediation programme timeline — has work started? When is it expected to complete?
- Your specific leaseholder contribution position — qualifying or non-qualifying leaseholder status.
Related
If your flat is mortgage-dead
We buy cladding-affected flats routinely. We accept the remediation uncertainty, price it transparently, and complete in 7–14 days where mortgaged sales are blocked. Share the postcode and a short note on the building status — we’ll respond within 24 hours with a written offer.