Following new research, The Property Institute (TPI) is calling on the Government to strengthen the forthcoming Remediation Bill by introducing legal enforcement measures to ensure developers signed up to the Responsible Actors Scheme meet their remediation commitments.

TPI's research, covering 511 residential buildings requiring cladding remediation, highlights a growing disparity between Government-funded schemes and those led by developers. While 40% of Government-funded projects are either complete or on site, only 19% of developer-led projects have reached the same stage.

The findings suggest that, at the current pace, it could take around ten years for all developer-led remediation projects to begin on-site works. Of the 2,604 buildings covered by developer pledges made in 2022, more than 1,300 have yet to make meaningful progress, leaving residents in almost 80,000 homes waiting for essential safety improvements.

Across all projects analysed, only 24% are currently being delivered or have been completed, while almost half remain in the early stages of assessment or scoping. TPI's analysis found that 58% of developer-led projects are still at these early stages, compared with just 14% of Government-funded schemes.

Andrew Bulmer, CEO at TPI, said: “This data is genuinely alarming. Thousands of people across the country are living in unsafe buildings, often unable to sell their homes, having faced nearly a decade’s worth of uncertainty since the Grenfell Tower tragedy.”

Bulmer continued: “The fact that the current remediation progress is so slow, and with no end in sight, is a national scandal. The goal for the Government and everyone involved in the housing sector should be to make these homes safe as soon as possible.”

In conclusion, Bulmer noted: “The Government’s Remediation Bill is an opportunity to give developers a legally binding backstop that reassures residents every step legally possible is being explored and taken to make their homes safe. Pledged developers need a hard deadline to ensure there are no more unnecessary delays.”

The research follows confirmation in the King's Speech that a Remediation Bill will be introduced in the next Parliamentary session. TPI is urging the Government to include a statutory backstop that would allow enforcement action where developers fail to meet remediation deadlines. The Institute is also calling for the legislation to address internal fire safety defects alongside external cladding issues, helping to accelerate remediation across thousands of affected residential buildings.