Investigations of cladding following the Grenfell Tower tragedy have revealed that the same cladding has been fitted to the City Scape development in Croydon, which was built by Barratts in 2004.
Now Firstport the managing agent has warned residents that they individually face a bill of up to £6,000 to replace the unsafe cladding.According to Barratts they have no liability"As the cladding passed the relevant safety inspections at the time it was fitted".
If Barratts( who have just announced record profits and awarded directors eye watering bonuses) do not accept liability for using potentially lethal materials or their is no successful claim against insurance then cost will have to be met by innocent leaseholders, who purchased in good faith never realising for a moment that a developer would put their lives at risk. When Firstport manage the works they will of course add a minimum of 10% so that if the estimated cost for replacement end up at the suggested £500,000 that wil net the financially stricken Firstport a bonus £50,000!
in the meantime, Firstport have changed their "Stay Put" strategy to "Evacuate Immediately" in case of fire.
