100+ cladding and fire safety claims seven years on since Grenfell Tower fire
Solomonic data reveals over 100 claims have arisen over cladding and fire safety concerns and exceed £380 million in damages.
With the release of the final report on the Grenfell Tower fire, which claimed 72 lives in June 2017, we have taken a look at claims relating to cladding or defective buildings and fire safety concerns that have arisen since the tragedy. Cladding, applied over buildings for insulation, weather protection or aesthetic reasons, played a critical role in the tragedy. Our data reveals over 100 cladding and fire safety claims have been issued in the High Court since 2017.
Cladding and fire safety claims in numbers
The first defective cladding claim surfaced in 2019 (HT-2019-000111: Naylor and others v Roamquest Limited and others), which later settled. HT-2019-000452 (Martlet Homes Limited v Mulalley & Co. Limited) followed in late 2019, which partly succeeded in July 2022. This was the first case on cladding and fire safety to reach trial since the fire and the court deliberated on whether claimants could recover for full replacement or a limited repair, with approximately £8 million in damages awarded out of the £18 million sought. 2023 saw the largest spike in claims following the trial decision, and 2024 has already seen 17 new claims.
Currently, there are 72 ongoing cladding and fire safety related claims, 56 have a specified value which totals at least £380 million. HT-2022-000409 (Willmott Dixon Construction Limited v Prater Limited and others) is seeking at least £46 million, the highest value among them.
Parties in the web of blame
The first claims against organisations involved in Grenfell Tower appeared in June 2020, exactly three years later. This number jumped at the end of 2020 with a wave targeting the same parties.
The inquiry criticises many of these parties in its report. Arconic, a US company whose French subsidiary made the cladding, faces 16 active claims, as does insulation manufacturer Celotex. Irish company Kingspan, responsible for about 5% of the foam insulation, faces two additional (but not directly related) claims concerning defective cladding and fire safety (HT-2021-000465, HT-2023-000208).
The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, along with its Tenant Management Organisation, which oversaw Grenfell Tower's refurbishment, faces intense scrutiny. Central government officials, the Home Office, London Fire Commissioner and Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government were all listed in numerous claims, as were Studio E Architects Ltd, Rydon Maintenance Ltd and cladding contractor Harley Facades Ltd. Studio E, although no longer trading, has not been allowed to fully wind up because of its role.
A turning point - new litigation to come?
As of late July, a government report identified 4,630 UK residential buildings over 36 feet (11 metres) tall with unsafe cladding, opening up a lot of new litigation risk. It will be important to watch for new cases in the coming months, potentially spurred by the damning report findings and the recent introduction of the Building Safety Act 2022 and the Building Safety Regulator in April.
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All data correct as of 9:30 6th Sep 2024.