WHAT IS COMPARTMENTATION?
Compartmentation is the split of spaces in buildings to resist the spread of fire and smoke from one part of a building to another. This uses construction elements like fire-resistant walls, floors, and doors to create barriers, to effectively contain or slow the spread of fire.
As part of the Developer Pledge, an intrusive compartmentation survey needs to be undertaken. This survey is funded by the Developer.
Remediation of Compartmentation
Depending on the results of the survey, the Developer is liable for the remediation of the defects in compartmentation which go back to the original construction.
At Cladding Consulting, we predict that there are likely to be further issues uncovered once fire compartmentation surveys get undertaken. Under the terms of the Developer Pledge, developers are obliged to pay for life safety construction defects and this extends to compartmentation defects; however, over the life of a building, services get added, maintenance and repair works are required and developers are not obliged to pay for this work. The following cases illustrate circumstances where the develop is not liable for fire safety detects.
There are expansion joints in a ceiling void which have been filled with a non combustible mineral fibre insulation. The correct methodology to fill these gaps is to seal mineral fibre insulation into the joint however at the time of construction, the insulation was just stuffed into the joint and was not sealed.
Because it wasn’t installed correctly the fibrous insulation has deteriorated and has been blown out of the joints by changes in air pressure. This now leaves a gap that would facilitate the spread of smoke or fire.
In this instance; the developer would be liable for the cost of remediation under the Developer Pledge.
Fibre optic internet has been installed to replace the original copper broadband lines. The installation involved running the new cabling up, through the riser cupboards through newly drilled holes, and then into the communal ceiling voids. The cabling is then run from the communal area ceiling into apartments via a hole drilled in the wall.
The installer did not firestop around the new cabling and so there is a gap around the cabling that runs the entire height of the building. This is a compartmentation breach that needs to be rectified however it is not a defect from the original construction. The developer is not liable for the cost of remediation under the Developer Pledge.
It is important to note that The Building Safety Fund does not cover any costs associated with the remediation of Compartmentation Defects.
To find out if you are eligible for the Cladding Safety Scheme, the Building Safety Fund or funding from the Developer, Cladding Consulting will manage the process from start to finish at no cost to Leaseholders.
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From discovering you have combustible material on your building through to receiving remediation funding everything is taken care of.
Our in depth understanding of BSF requirements and experience in working with developers means we avoid unnecessary funding delays or exclusions.
We use a comprehensive team covering all necessary specialties from surveyors to designers and fire safety engineers who have already navigated the process and can work together seamlessly.
The best way forward is to get a survey done with a mutually appointed surveyor who is not pressurised into skewing the results one way or the other. For this reason, Cladding Consulting works very closely with developers and trusted surveyors when assisting with a fire compartmentation survey. Get in touch if you’d like to discuss initiating a fire compartmentation survey.
It is important to note that The Building Safety Fund does not cover any costs associated with the remediation of Compartmentation Defects.
The answer to this question is not a simple one because once a building is completed, repair works are carried out and these may impair the fire compartmentation of the property. The best course of action is to make sure your survey is done by a mutually appointed surveyor who ios not pressurised into skewing the results one way or another. Cladding Consulting works very closely with developers and trusted surveyors when assisting with a fire compartmentation survey.
All BSF applications call for applicants to provide an assessment of the risks posed by fire spread over external walls to identify what, if any, work is required. This process, known as the Fire Risk Appraisal of External Walls (FRAEW), must be carried out by competent professionals in line with the new PAS 9980:2022 code of practice, which aims to make remediation solutions more proportionate to the building’s individual level of risk.
If you are unsure of the best route to take in your individual situation, you are welcome to get in touch for a free consultation. If you choose us to manage your cladding remediation, the fees will be covered by the government’s cladding remediation fund.
The government asked major UK developers to sign the Developer Pledge in 2022, which asked them to commit to remediating life-critical fire safety works on buildings of 11 metres and over that they were involved in building or renovating over the plast 30-years in England.
The agreement was made after discussions between the Secretary of State for the Department for Levelling Up Housing and Communities and the Home Builders Federation to protect leaseholders from having to incur the costs of remediation work required on life-critical fire safety defects.
52 Developers have signed The Developers Pledge, and in January 2023, the government wrote to them and asked them to sign a legal contract, committing to the remediation work. If they refused, the government explained it would make it very difficult for them to continue constructing – planning permissions would be revoked and work on existing developments would be halted.
The Building Safety Fund was set up to cover the cost of cladding remediating for any buildings more than 18 metres in height with a 30cm tolerance, which have been clad in combustible material.
The Cladding Safety Fund was set up to cover the cost of cladding remediation for any buildings 11 to 18m in height, which have been clad in combustible material.
Both funds cover ‘reasonable’ costs for the works necessary to remove the unsafe cladding and will also cover Cladding Consulting’s fees.
The Developer Pledge is a promise made by some of the UK’s biggest house builders, to admit that leaseholders should not be made to pay for remediation and that they, the developer, take responsibility for any necessary work to put right fire safety issues on buildings of more than 11 metres they had a role in either developing or refurbishing. It covers both the inside and outside of the building.
Where cladding needs to be removed and the developer is not part of the pledge, you can apply to the Building Safety Fund or the Cladding Safety Scheme.