The proposals were unveiled at the second reading of the Remediation of Unsafe Cladding Bill.
The additional measures will make construction product manufacturers liable for contributing to the remediation of unsafe buildings.
Although rules were already in place to protect leaseholders from the cost of cladding remediation, the government said many still fell through gaps due to different forms of ownership not covered by law. Now, the government said it will go further to narrow said gaps.
It said that for the first time, the state has power to recover contributions from manufacturers, and at scale.
Baroness Blake, building safety minister, said: “We are going further to protect more homeowners from unfair costs and make construction product manufacturers contribute towards putting things right.”
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If construction product manufacturers fail to comply, criminal penalties and fines up to £500,000 will apply.
Eligible leaseholders
The move looks to widen the eligibility of leaseholders protected from remediation costs.
It aims to support leaseholders who purchased a flat as their sole residence but missed out on cost protections because the previous owner was ineligible.
The government said it also seeks to support leaseholders in collectively owned and enfranchised buildings who are not covered by the protections in the Building Safety Act.
Finally, it will extend support to leaseholders with multiple properties affected by non-cladding building safety defects that they did not cause and who are not currently protected under the Building Safety Act. The government plans to increase the number of properties covered from three to six.
