The government cladding remediation fund for private residential buildings is currently made up of one live scheme, and another that is now closed to new applications. Both are aimed specifically at buildings of 18 metres or more in height (high rise buildings). The closed scheme is the Private Sector ACM Cladding Remediation Fund. This was set up to deal with the costs of removing and replacing unsafe cladding made from Aluminium Composite Material (ACM). It is useful to note that whilst this scheme is now closed, the government may still look favourably upon suitable applications, so it is important not to write it off altogether if your 18m+ building is ACM-clad.
The live scheme is the Building Safety Fund. This has been set up to cover the costs of removing and replacing unsafe non ACM cladding. There is a further cladding remediation fund in the pipeline which is designed to address fire safety defects in buildings of 11-18 metres in height (mid-rise buildings), called the Mid Rise Scheme, in line with the government’s promise that leaseholders of any building over 11 metres in height should not have to pay for unsafe cladding rectification. The Mid Rise Scheme is due to be launched at the end of March, early April 2023. Cladding Consulting has met with the Director General for Building Safety, Grenfell and Net Zero at the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities and given valuable feedback on how the cladding remediation fund is working on ground level.