Living through the building safety crisis: Impacts on the mental wellbeing of leaseholders

This report discusses the mental wellbeing impacts of the building safety crisis – or ‘cladding scandal’ – on leaseholders, drawing on in-depth interviews. It outlines the spectrum of wellbeing harms that were experienced by those living through the crisis and the different drivers of harms.

The building safety crisis refers to problems identified in the wake of the Grenfell Tower fire, particularly relating to flammable cladding and insulation, missing or inadequate fire breaks, compartmentation and fire doors, and flammable materials on balconies. This has been an area of significant policy evolution, with changing advice and guidance, however the current outcome is that many leaseholders living in affected buildings are unable to sell their homes until external wall systems can be assessed, risks identified, and remediation works carried out. Remedying these building safety problems comes at a significant cost. Whilst Government funding exists for some building types, eligibility is limited, many buildings have no recourse to funding, and not all types of work are covered by the fund.