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			<title>Green Building Forum - Grenfell tower fire</title>
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		<title>Grenfell tower fire</title>
		<link>https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=15130&amp;Focus=293771#Comment_293771</link>
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		<pubDate>Wed, 15 Dec 2021 18:33:28 +0000</pubDate>
		<author>djh</author>
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			<![CDATA[<blockquote ><cite >Posted By: Jonti</cite>If you local elections are on a town borough, village level where the electorate is up to maybe 10'000 people who elect the local committee then you get local people who are interested in local issues being elected.</blockquote>The people tend to be local, although not all are. But the ones that get elected also are elected as members of a party by and large. There are very few independents and some of those are disguised party members. So even though they're interested in local issues to some extent they also have their eye on national policies to a great extent too.<br /><br /><blockquote >The problem with proportional representation is you can only vote for a party which locks in that which you claim FPTP does, where as it is better at a local level to be able to vote for someone you know and trust</blockquote>There are many types of voting system (see https://www.electoral-reform.org.uk/voting-systems/types-of-voting-system/ for examples) and some allow you to vote for individuals as well as parties. But in the UK we get to vote for named individuals who we know we do not trust <img src="/newforum/extensions/Vanillacons/smilies/standard/cry.gif" alt=":cry:" title=":cry:" />]]>
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		<title>Grenfell tower fire</title>
		<link>https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=15130&amp;Focus=293786#Comment_293786</link>
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		<pubDate>Thu, 16 Dec 2021 17:38:14 +0000</pubDate>
		<author>Jonti</author>
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			<![CDATA[<blockquote ><cite >Posted By: djh</cite><blockquote ><cite >Posted By: Jonti</cite>If you local elections are on a town borough, village level where the electorate is up to maybe 10'000 people who elect the local committee then you get local people who are interested in local issues being elected.</blockquote>The people tend to be local, although not all are. But the ones that get elected also are elected as members of a party by and large. There are very few independents and some of those are disguised party members. So even though they're interested in local issues to some extent they also have their eye on national policies to a great extent too.<br /><br /><blockquote >The problem with proportional representation is you can only vote for a party which locks in that which you claim FPTP does, where as it is better at a local level to be able to vote for someone you know and trust</blockquote>There are many types of voting system (see https://www.electoral-reform.org.uk/voting-systems/types-of-voting-system/ for examples) and some allow you to vote for individuals as well as parties. But in the UK we get to vote for named individuals who we know we do not trust<img src="<a href="https:///newforum/extensions/Vanillacons/smilies/standard/cry.gif" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">https:///newforum/extensions/Vanillacons/smilies/standard/cry.gif</a>" alt="<img src="/newforum/extensions/Vanillacons/smilies/standard/cry.gif" alt=":cry:" title=":cry:" />" title="<img src="/newforum/extensions/Vanillacons/smilies/standard/cry.gif" alt=":cry:" title=":cry:" />" ></img></blockquote><br /><br />My MP lives over an hour away and there are lots of those who have no connection to the constituency they stand in. And yes there are lots of systems but in the end you vote for either a person which is a variation of first past the post or a party which is on a proportional system.]]>
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		<title>Grenfell tower fire</title>
		<link>https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=15130&amp;Focus=293787#Comment_293787</link>
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		<pubDate>Thu, 16 Dec 2021 18:28:44 +0000</pubDate>
		<author>djh</author>
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			<![CDATA[<blockquote ><cite >Posted By: Jonti</cite>in the end you vote for either a person which is a variation of first past the post or a party which is on a proportional system</blockquote><br />Only in systems that have a single vote. I'd prefer a system where I was able to both vote for somebody who I supposedly trusted to look after local interests, and somebody who I trusted to understand difficult issues and tended to vote in a way I agreed with. Hopefully the latter could persuade some of the former to vote sensibly as well.]]>
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		<title>Grenfell tower fire</title>
		<link>https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=15130&amp;Focus=293799#Comment_293799</link>
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		<pubDate>Fri, 17 Dec 2021 18:05:09 +0000</pubDate>
		<author>djh</author>
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			<![CDATA[To get back to the fire ... The summary of this week's evidence is very scary, I thought. It also happens to mention the involvement of some companies we've been discussing.<br /><br /><a href="https://www.insidehousing.co.uk/insight/grenfell-tower-inquiry-diary-week-60-you-could-have-an-exact-repeat-of-the-dubai-fire-in-any-number-of-buildings-in-london-73724" target="_self" rel="nofollow">https://www.insidehousing.co.uk/insight/grenfell-tower-inquiry-diary-week-60-you-could-have-an-exact-repeat-of-the-dubai-fire-in-any-number-of-buildings-in-london-73724</a>]]>
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		<title>Grenfell tower fire</title>
		<link>https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=15130&amp;Focus=293834#Comment_293834</link>
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		<pubDate>Mon, 20 Dec 2021 12:53:45 +0000</pubDate>
		<author>Shevek</author>
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			<![CDATA[Every time I check in on this enquiry I think to myself, jesus nothing will top this. Only to be proven incorrect when I check in again.]]>
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		<title>Grenfell tower fire</title>
		<link>https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=15130&amp;Focus=293848#Comment_293848</link>
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		<pubDate>Tue, 21 Dec 2021 12:49:41 +0000</pubDate>
		<author>fostertom</author>
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			<![CDATA[About a year ago, I wrote elsewhere:<br />"While the Inquiry is currently naming and shaming the â€˜professionalsâ€™ in the Grenfell â€˜refurbishmentâ€™ who did their mastersâ€™ bidding to circumvent well established systems to contain and escape from any Fire, it must move on up to spotlight the political Leaders, the corporates and their shareholders in whose â€˜interestâ€™ such cheating is routinely part of the big-building industry. And beyond, to the mean politicians of the 1980s who set the whole enduring ethos, and the grim theorists who gave them voice â€“ now thankfully dead."<br /><br />As shevek says, the enquiry ploughs on, ever closer to the real crux, which I consider to be my last sentence above - all else was sanctioned by and follows from that. So far the govt has, astonishingly, given abject apology for its failure (under various parties in power) in supervising the Building Regulations 'system' - as if the govt didn't deliberately and knowingly dismantle all meaningful supervision. Way to go - there's a lot more to own up to still.<br /><br />On the 'grim theorists', for whom Pinochet's Chilean government and 1980 constitutional lock-in (only just finally re-unlocked)<br /><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/oct/22/chileans-pinochet-constitution-referendum" target="_self" rel="nofollow">https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/oct/22/chileans-pinochet-constitution-referendum</a><br />was their greatest success, see<br /><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Democracy-Chains-history-radical-stealth/dp/1911344684/ref=sr_1_1?crid=374HBBK8VEO45&keywords=democracy+in+chains&qid=1640091196&sprefix=democracy+in+chasins%2Caps%2C1704&sr=8-1" target="_self" rel="nofollow">https://www.amazon.co.uk/Democracy-Chains-history-radical-stealth/dp/1911344684/ref=sr_1_1?crid=374HBBK8VEO45&keywords=democracy+in+chains&qid=1640091196&sprefix=democracy+in+chasins%2Caps%2C1704&sr=8-1</a>]]>
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		<title>Grenfell tower fire</title>
		<link>https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=15130&amp;Focus=293997#Comment_293997</link>
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		<pubDate>Tue, 04 Jan 2022 12:33:41 +0000</pubDate>
		<author>fostertom</author>
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			<![CDATA[At last we get to it<br /><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/jan/04/grenfell-inquiry-ex-ministers-and-serving-secretary-of-state-to-be-cross-examined" target="_self" rel="nofollow">https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/jan/04/grenfell-inquiry-ex-ministers-and-serving-secretary-of-state-to-be-cross-examined</a><br />but "the inquiry will look at the actions of governments going back to the 1990s", while the whole catastrophoic 'red tape' thing originated with Margaret Thatcher's anti-society ideology of the 1980s. Grenfell is the emblem of what that led to.]]>
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		<title>Grenfell tower fire</title>
		<link>https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=15130&amp;Focus=294001#Comment_294001</link>
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		<pubDate>Tue, 04 Jan 2022 17:28:41 +0000</pubDate>
		<author>Artiglio</author>
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			<![CDATA[But the Tower was built in the early 1970â€™s, it never had a wet riser from the day it was built, a key piece of the fire fighting systems in tower blocks, this was noted in Dr. Laneâ€™s report. So it would seem the adherence to good practice and regulations considerably predates â€œmargaret thatchers anti-society ideology of the 80â€™sâ€.<br /><br />Iâ€™d be much more interested in having the fire service explain why theyâ€™d never flagged such a major failing over the years since the tower was built and if in fact they had why it was never acted upon.]]>
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		<title>Grenfell tower fire</title>
		<link>https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=15130&amp;Focus=294003#Comment_294003</link>
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		<pubDate>Tue, 04 Jan 2022 19:13:03 +0000</pubDate>
		<author>fostertom</author>
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			<![CDATA[Can't quote, but lots of parties gave warnings - not incl the Fire Brigade?<br /><br />"Lord Barwell, Theresa Mayâ€™s former chief of staff who held the office of housing minister in the year before the disaster, is likely to face questioning over how he handled direct fire safety warnings from the London fire commissioner, Dany Cotton.<br /><br />On 3 April 2017 Cotton told Barwell and Lewis, by that time policing and fire minister, of â€œmounting evidence of issues of concern within residential buildings and, in particular, blocks of flatsâ€ about compartmentation and the impact on the policy of telling people to stay put in the event of a blaze."]]>
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		<title>Grenfell tower fire</title>
		<link>https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=15130&amp;Focus=294005#Comment_294005</link>
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		<pubDate>Tue, 04 Jan 2022 21:04:23 +0000</pubDate>
		<author>Artiglio</author>
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			<![CDATA[The 2005 fire safety order act replaced the 1971 act (under which the fire brigade issued â€œfire certificates after inspection, again itâ€™d be interesting to see those inspections by the fire brigade and the recomendations therein, especially in respect of the wet riser( on the night of the fire the crews had to run hoses up stair wells ( compromising fire doors) to fight the blaze , had there been a wet riser theyâ€™d have just gone to the hose reel on the floor and fought the blaze with the buildings own initial supply vastly speeding up the initial response)<br /><br />After 2005 there would have been a responsible person designated to oversee the compilation of a fire risk assessment for the building, again shortcomings should have been noted and addressed. <br /><br />The whole thing is a dogs dinner going back to the day the tower was built. Lots of cosy relationships between public bodies ensuring no waves were made. <br /><br />The question of compartmentation issues should  have been especially of interest to any inspector after the Lakanal House fire in 2009, where the removal of asbestos products used to ensure compartmentation but alledgedly no replacements being fitted led to the spread of the fire , which incidentally started with a failing tenants electrical device.<br />Compartmentation and stay put in the opinion of a fire officer i spoke with have been used as a convenient method of satisfying fire safety, apparently in the true sense, a dedicated and otherwise unused area would be created at strategic points in a building that acted as safe refuge and gave rescue crews a first port of call when evacuating people , the theory being this specially created area would be custom built and be untouched by tenants unless there was a fire , could easily be inspected and maintained. Once this was evacuated then the crews would go flat to flat checking for anyone to make it to the â€œsafe havenâ€. The use of blanket stay put policies saves having to build such refuges ( in a tower block it would mean losing a flat on each floor) and relies on the compartmentation of each flat, which is difficult to control given tenant behaviours and lifestyles.<br />To effectively prove a flat is fully comparmented is nigh on impossible without extensive and often destructive inspection and remediation, which in older blocks is even harder to the extent that in reality youâ€™d need to move out occupiers to do the works which may be prohibitively expensive.<br /><br />Whatâ€™s at risk of being lost in the Grenfell inquiry is that UK fire safety is really very good, Grenfell was the result of endless failures and poor management, the focus should be on what went wrong for that one event , then look at the reasons behind each failure point.<br /><br />Fire exited the flat it started in through a non fire retardent infill panel fitted to a window for a fan.<br />Windows werenâ€™t fire stopped<br />Cladding has been deemed to have the wrong insulation, but itâ€™s also been noted that many of the intumescent  fire stops in the cladding were fitted poorly into gaps larger than they were designed for.<br />The fire service didnâ€™t have the facilities it should have done to fight the fire , wet riser, defective lift.<br /> <br /> The list is almost endless.<br /><br />It really does seem as though there is plenty of effort going into protecting the reputation of social housing and those that work within it and even more effort going into placing the blame on the private sector. Where was the oversight from the buildings managers?]]>
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		<title>Grenfell tower fire</title>
		<link>https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=15130&amp;Focus=294023#Comment_294023</link>
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		<pubDate>Thu, 06 Jan 2022 09:34:43 +0000</pubDate>
		<author>lineweight</author>
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			<![CDATA[Listen to the 2 or 3 relatively recently Grenfell enquiry podcasts that cover the fire service.<br /><br />There *was* knowledge within the fire service about the various dangers of cladding fires, but it failed to get translated adequately into training and on-the-ground procedures.]]>
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		<title>Grenfell tower fire</title>
		<link>https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=15130&amp;Focus=297067#Comment_297067</link>
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		<pubDate>Sat, 30 Jul 2022 22:21:40 +0100</pubDate>
		<author>djh</author>
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			<![CDATA[I'm puzzled why I've only just learned of this. Apparently RBKC have admitted liability for some deaths at Grenfell in a court case. Why hasn't this made the news?<br /><br /><a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-62354354" target="_self" rel="nofollow">https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-62354354</a><br /><br />The story says there are lots of other cases pending, so hopefully that will persuade RBKC to start co-operating in proving the responsibility of the other players, to minimise their own costs.<br /><br />But I'd still like to see somebody from every organization involved in this tragedy sent to jail, with the assumption being it's the person in charge, unless they can prove their organization's part was done without their personal knowledge or connivance or reasonable anticipation of consequences.]]>
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		<title>Grenfell tower fire</title>
		<link>https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=15130&amp;Focus=297162#Comment_297162</link>
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		<pubDate>Tue, 09 Aug 2022 13:26:54 +0100</pubDate>
		<author>borpin</author>
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			<![CDATA[<blockquote ><cite >Posted By: Artiglio</cite>Fire exited the flat it started in through a non fire retardent infill panel fitted to a window for a fan.</blockquote><br /><br />One of my thoughts has always been that the fire going up the outside seemed to readily enter the flats it passed. I've wondered about the fire protection from UPVC frames (which replaced the original metal ones) and how these were fitted. However, once an insulation fire really gets going, little will stop it.]]>
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		<title>Grenfell tower fire</title>
		<link>https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=15130&amp;Focus=298474#Comment_298474</link>
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		<pubDate>Sun, 30 Oct 2022 08:34:51 +0000</pubDate>
		<author>fostertom</author>
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			<![CDATA[<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/books/2022/oct/30/show-me-the-bodies-how-we-let-grenfell-happen-review-damning-account-of-deregulation" target="_self" rel="nofollow">https://www.theguardian.com/books/2022/oct/30/show-me-the-bodies-how-we-let-grenfell-happen-review-damning-account-of-deregulation</a>]]>
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		<title>Grenfell tower fire</title>
		<link>https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=15130&amp;Focus=298476#Comment_298476</link>
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		<pubDate>Sun, 30 Oct 2022 11:38:23 +0000</pubDate>
		<author>djh</author>
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			<![CDATA[Thanks for the link, Tom. Pre-ordered <img src="/newforum/extensions/Vanillacons/smilies/standard/cool.gif" alt=":cool:" title=":cool:" />]]>
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		<title>Grenfell tower fire</title>
		<link>https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=15130&amp;Focus=298842#Comment_298842</link>
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		<pubDate>Tue, 15 Nov 2022 19:52:30 +0000</pubDate>
		<author>djh</author>
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			<![CDATA[I got the book Tom mentioned and have started reading it. But it's slow going; I can only read it for half an hour or so at a sitting and then I get so angry (and frustrated and disappointed) that I have to stop and do something different. <img src="/newforum/extensions/Vanillacons/smilies/standard/cry.gif" alt=":cry:" title=":cry:" /><br /><br />Today there was a news story about a young boy who died because he had to live in a rented dwelling with severe mould. Another case where the coroner is writing to the housing minister, but I expect nothing will be done just as nothing has been done about fire safety despite many similar reports. The mould case does seem to be a bit different though, since there is government guidance that seems fairly clear and so it seems the housing association has not followed it. So hopefully prosecution can be faster in this case.]]>
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		<title>Grenfell tower fire</title>
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		<pubDate>Tue, 15 Nov 2022 20:50:26 +0000</pubDate>
		<author>Peter_in_Hungary</author>
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			<![CDATA[The pictures I saw on the TV news show a very bad situation and I find it difficult to see haw any inspection would not flag an urgent investigation into the cause(s)<br /><br />I have not seen the whole report but what was reported on the news pointed to mould as the cause of the illness and resultant death but no indication as to the cause of the mould. It would be interesting to know the cause(s) of the mould- deficient fabric, inadequate ventilation or lifestyle or a combination of all. Either way heads should roll if for no other reason than the lack of action by the responsible parties.]]>
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		<title>Grenfell tower fire</title>
		<link>https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=15130&amp;Focus=298868#Comment_298868</link>
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		<pubDate>Thu, 17 Nov 2022 08:29:12 +0000</pubDate>
		<author>Jonti</author>
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			<![CDATA[I am very pessimistic that anything will change. Parliament has already passed all the necessary legislation to have prevented both the Grenfell disaster and the death of the young boy, but legislation is useless if it is not enforced. It is a result of an over centralisation of political power coupled with a very low standard of politicians.]]>
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		<title>Grenfell tower fire</title>
		<link>https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=15130&amp;Focus=298870#Comment_298870</link>
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		<pubDate>Thu, 17 Nov 2022 09:22:27 +0000</pubDate>
		<author>borpin</author>
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			<![CDATA[<blockquote ><cite >Posted By: Peter_in_Hungary</cite>It would be interesting to know the cause(s) of the mould- deficient fabric, inadequate ventilation or lifestyle or a combination of all.</blockquote>I wonder what similar adjoining properties are like?<br /><br />Just bought my daughter a dehumidifer for her flat. RH was at 85%. Remarkably effective desiccant dehumidifier has quickly brought the RH to acceptable levels.<br /><br />There is an argument for the fitting of A2A HPs as these will help control humidity as well (I believe).]]>
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		<title>Grenfell tower fire</title>
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		<pubDate>Thu, 17 Nov 2022 09:23:21 +0000</pubDate>
		<author>fostertom</author>
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			<![CDATA[<blockquote ><cite >Posted By: Peter_in_Hungary</cite>It would be interesting to know the cause(s) of the mould</blockquote>That's a pattern, I think, in such failures in this little-understood (by public and officialdom) modern arena of higher moisture production, higher heating and somewhat reduced ventilation/leakiness (all compared to say 100yrs ago). Where legal liability ramifications are high (a death in this mould case, the complete demolition and rebuild of 'leaky' pioneering PH school in Dartington Devon), everyone's fighting to obfuscate causes and deflect blame, so cool lesson-learning diagnosis doesn't get a chance.<br /><br />As far as the PH school, I'm sure it wasn't 'leaks' (as in water getting thro the roof), but accumulating interstitial condensation bue to probable reliance on the old gradient of varour resistivities rule-of-thumb (outer layers of the sandwich 3x (or 5x some said) less resistive than inner layers). The origin of that rule was untraceable when I searched t'internet; even cos like Warmcel who were promoting it couldn't say where it came from; when I had access to WUFI I found it made no difference either way. Luckily no one uses that rule any more - except bloomin' Warmcel have recently revived it, now refusing to allow installers to use their stuff unless the construction is certified to comply. Or presumably a WUFI Certificate in lieu.]]>
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		<title>Grenfell tower fire</title>
		<link>https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=15130&amp;Focus=298913#Comment_298913</link>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=15130&amp;Focus=298913#Comment_298913</guid>
		<pubDate>Sun, 20 Nov 2022 08:24:29 +0000</pubDate>
		<author>fostertom</author>
		<description>
			<![CDATA[<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/society/2022/nov/19/uk-tenants-face-blame-for-causing-toxic-mould-and-deadly-hazards-under-new-rules" target="_self" rel="nofollow">https://www.theguardian.com/society/2022/nov/19/uk-tenants-face-blame-for-causing-toxic-mould-and-deadly-hazards-under-new-rules</a><br /><br />"Under the updated housing health and safety rating system (HHSRS), environmental health inspectors will be told to consider detailed â€œbehavioural factorsâ€, such as whether residents are taking enough steps to ensure their property is heated and ventilated, including using heating, running extraction fans and opening windows. Other factors they will be required to consider include whether people are exposing themselves to excessively low temperatures due to ignorance, a â€œstoic and often embedded attitudeâ€ to cold or desire to â€œreduce carbon emissionsâ€, adds the guidance<br /><br />From what I've heard from the likes of ventilation guru Peter Rickaby, his priority when advising on upgrade of e.g. huge Thamesmead estates suffering friom poor insulation, mould etc, is to develop cost effective (i.e. not ideal full retrofit) measures which are specifically tenant-proof. So it's apparently possible for landlords to take full responsibility and leave the tenants out of any blame. Or is it?]]>
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		<title>Grenfell tower fire</title>
		<link>https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=15130&amp;Focus=298914#Comment_298914</link>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=15130&amp;Focus=298914#Comment_298914</guid>
		<pubDate>Sun, 20 Nov 2022 12:27:28 +0000</pubDate>
		<author>borpin</author>
		<description>
			<![CDATA[<blockquote ><cite >Posted By: fostertom</cite>"Under the updated housing health and safety rating system (HHSRS), environmental health inspectors will be told to consider detailed â€œbehavioural factorsâ€, such as whether residents are taking enough steps to ensure their property is heated and ventilated,</blockquote>That is interesting. As a Landlord, if your tennant is set upon not following best practice and using fans, trickle vents etc. it would seem unreasonable to punish the landlord.<br /><br />As I said, in relation to the case mentioned above, I'd be interested to see what the adjoining properties were like and what if any of the issues were behavioural.]]>
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		<title>Grenfell tower fire</title>
		<link>https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=15130&amp;Focus=298916#Comment_298916</link>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=15130&amp;Focus=298916#Comment_298916</guid>
		<pubDate>Sun, 20 Nov 2022 13:09:50 +0000</pubDate>
		<author>philedge</author>
		<description>
			<![CDATA[Footage theyve shown on BBC North West has showed lots of other flats in the same state.<br /><br />It's pretty unbelievable that little seems to have been done 2 years after the toddlers death.]]>
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		<title>Grenfell tower fire</title>
		<link>https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=15130&amp;Focus=298918#Comment_298918</link>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=15130&amp;Focus=298918#Comment_298918</guid>
		<pubDate>Sun, 20 Nov 2022 13:48:22 +0000</pubDate>
		<author>Artiglio</author>
		<description>
			<![CDATA[The way some tenants choose to live has to be seen to be believed, combine that with a building that has little resilience to damp/condensation/mould and youâ€™re onto a hiding to nothing. Iâ€™ve had tenats complain, but then you find theyâ€™ve got â€œfriends stayingâ€ and you have 6 adults in a small 2 bed flat, removing trickle vents taping them over and refitting vents is not uncommon. They wonâ€™t use extractor fans, indoor clothes drying. List is endless. <br /><br />The social sector is notoriously overcrowded and as its often tenant instigated, by either having extra children or moving relations in, itâ€™s not the landlords responsibility. In the case mentioned , they were in a 1bedroom flat. <br /><br />Itâ€™s all very well making landlords responsible for dealing with tenant behaviour, but how does that deal with overcrowding , my tenancy agreements have occupation limits , partly to deal with possible future issues, where excessive number of people in a flat can cause issues. Purely as a way of showing thatiâ€™m aware of how over occupation can cause problems and said limits are a reasonable way of managing them. Then you have the issue of will tenants heat their property or choose to save money.<br /><br />Councils donâ€™t like HHSRS as itâ€™s for them expensive to do a proper assessment and they donâ€™t like that they have a statutory duty to deal with any Class 1 hazards identified. Especially if these are a result of problems in common areas or the fabric of a building split into leasehold units. Theyâ€™ve done the assessment on a flat, socaction would be against the landlord of the flat, but their lease may be such that they cannot do anything to the fabric of the buidling or the common areas. Whislt not applicable to social providers. There is a problem with converted buildings where units are sold off and the freeholder just disapears over the years. My council will state they donâ€™t have the resources to do the assessment in order to avoid getting involved in a hugely expensive process of having to do the works and try to trace the freeholders and get their money back. If thereâ€™s an area of the law that needs changing its this, so that thereâ€™s a mechanism for the leaseholders or council to take control of such a freehold at negligible cost and minimal expense, so that proper management can be put in place.<br /><br />Is it really possible to protect tenants from their own actions once theyâ€™ve been informed of what their actions may cause? <br /><br />The flat where the fire started in grenfell had 3 people living in it, alledgedly unrelated so was effectively an hmo if so, but wouldnâ€™t have complied with hmo regulations.<br /><br />Iâ€™ve ordered the book previously mentioned , iâ€™ll be interested to see what viewpoint has been taken.]]>
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		<title>Grenfell tower fire</title>
		<link>https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=15130&amp;Focus=298919#Comment_298919</link>
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		<pubDate>Sun, 20 Nov 2022 16:10:25 +0000</pubDate>
		<author>Jonti</author>
		<description>
			<![CDATA[<blockquote ><cite >Posted By: Artiglio</cite><br /><br />The flat where the fire started in grenfell had 3 people living in it, alledgedly unrelated so was effectively an hmo if so, but wouldnâ€™t have complied with hmo regulations.<br /><br /></blockquote><br /><br />Three people who are not related to each other living in the same property does not constitute a HMO if they are paying one rent and living as a quasi-family unit. But even if it were, it is clearly up to the landlord to ensure the property is being used appropriately.]]>
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		<title>Grenfell tower fire</title>
		<link>https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=15130&amp;Focus=298921#Comment_298921</link>
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		<pubDate>Sun, 20 Nov 2022 18:57:32 +0000</pubDate>
		<author>philedge</author>
		<description>
			<![CDATA[<blockquote ><cite >Posted By: Jonti</cite> it is clearly up to the landlord to ensure the property is being used appropriately.</blockquote><br /><br />I would imagine most landlords would see that differently and expect tenants to stick to tenancy agreements which would likely include a no sub letting clause. <br /><br />I cant see how its reasonable for a landlord to have to visit their property(ies) every few weeks to check the tenants not moved a mate or two in to help with the rent.]]>
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		<title>Grenfell tower fire</title>
		<link>https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=15130&amp;Focus=298923#Comment_298923</link>
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		<pubDate>Sun, 20 Nov 2022 23:58:12 +0000</pubDate>
		<author>Jonti</author>
		<description>
			<![CDATA[<blockquote ><cite >Posted By: philedge</cite><blockquote ><cite >Posted By: Jonti</cite>it is clearly up to the landlord to ensure the property is being used appropriately.</blockquote><br /><br />I would imagine most landlords would see that differently and expect tenants to stick to tenancy agreements which would likely include a no sub letting clause.<br /><br />I cant see how its reasonable for a landlord to have to visit their property(ies) every few weeks to check the tenants not moved a mate or two in to help with the rent.</blockquote><br /><br />I am sure landlords would and it is perfectly reasonable to expect tenants to stick to the tenancy agreement However, it is in the interest of a good landlord to check on a regular basis the tenants are doing so and of course the condition of their asset.]]>
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		<title>Grenfell tower fire</title>
		<link>https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=15130&amp;Focus=301129#Comment_301129</link>
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		<pubDate>Thu, 06 Apr 2023 12:39:31 +0100</pubDate>
		<author>djh</author>
		<description>
			<![CDATA[I just looked at <a href="https://www.gov.uk/guidance/safety-in-high-rise-residential-buildings-accountable-persons" target="_self" rel="nofollow">https://www.gov.uk/guidance/safety-in-high-rise-residential-buildings-accountable-persons</a><br /><br />In the section about "Clarity about who is accountable" I don't believe the list of interested parties is broad enough. It should at an absolute minimum include the residents of the building and their representatives.<br /><br />More broadly I believe that the names of the accountable persons should be a matter of public record open to all. There's far too much secrecy in property law in this country.]]>
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		<title>Grenfell tower fire</title>
		<link>https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=15130&amp;Focus=306685#Comment_306685</link>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=15130&amp;Focus=306685#Comment_306685</guid>
		<pubDate>Wed, 04 Sep 2024 22:04:53 +0100</pubDate>
		<author>djh</author>
		<description>
			<![CDATA[I just saw an excellent page today:<br /><a href="https://www.reuters.com/graphics/BUILDING-FIRES/byprqyryzve/" target="_self" rel="nofollow">https://www.reuters.com/graphics/BUILDING-FIRES/byprqyryzve/</a><br /><br /><img src="/newforum/extensions/Vanillacons/smilies/standard/cry.gif" alt=":cry:" title=":cry:" /> <img src="/newforum/extensions/Vanillacons/smilies/standard/cry.gif" alt=":cry:" title=":cry:" />]]>
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		<title>Grenfell tower fire</title>
		<link>https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=15130&amp;Focus=306686#Comment_306686</link>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=15130&amp;Focus=306686#Comment_306686</guid>
		<pubDate>Thu, 05 Sep 2024 11:25:43 +0100</pubDate>
		<author>djh</author>
		<description>
			<![CDATA[The videos on that page don't play for me today. Anybody else see the same (or different)?]]>
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