Whilst the victims’ families seek justice at the Grenfell Inquiry on Bishop Bridge Rd,
W2, we are also in the midst of a wider cladding scandal across London. This is
causing a significant amount of stress and discomfort to many Londoners as many
can’t move or re-mortgage their properties, with annual insurance bills hitting the
roof.

A case in point in Paddington is the M&M Buildings on Hermitage St W2, just around the corner from the Grenfell Inquiry itself, where the residents discovered they had ACM panelling and were landed with full liability for the remedial works by their freeholder. This has already cost residents £40,000 per flat and huge raises in their annual building insurance premiums. Whilst they will now receive some remediation grants from the Government, the whole sorry saga does shed light well on the nature of the relationship between leaseholders and freeholders in England. This all makes for a compelling argument for common hold as in Scotland. 

So as the scaffolding goes up on the M&M Building in Paddington, with the commencement of the remediation works to the ACM cladding, do keep an eye on this development. The freeholder is already attempting to sell another phrase of residential flats very nearby by marketing their new development to those stuck in a flammable building and paying out £7.5 million to remediate the cladding and 3.5 years of misery so far! And then the freeholder has the gall to market their new development to those struck in this horrendous situation. So watch this space on this one.