Homeowners have vowed to take legal action against a London council over a £2 million repair bill to protect their homes from collapse if there was a large explosion or intense fire.
Leaseholders in two council-owned high-rise blocks near Canary Wharf have been told they will have to pay between £63,000 and £85,000 for structural work. The charges for residents of Brewster House and Malting House were agreed by Tower Hamlets’ executive mayor at a meeting last week.
Homeowners were not allowed to attend because of the coronavirus lockdown.
Belinda Le Mesurier, who owns a one-bedroom home in Brewster House, said: “We believe that this whole case is well over and above any reasonable request any homeowner would be subjected to. We plan on fighting this at a First-tier Tribunal.”
The blocks were built as council housing in the Sixties and contain 112 flats, 32 of which are now owned by leaseholders. Tower Hamlets said the problems were found after flammable cladding was stripped from the buildings in 2018.
It started consulting leaseholders about the charges last year when the costs were estimated to be around £55,000.
The Government has capped the amount local authority leaseholders have to pay for repairs at £15,000 but this only applies if works are partly funded by a grant. If not, the council can pass on the entire cost. Tower Hamlets said it had offered to buy back the flats and has written to the Secretary of State for Housing to seek funding.
