As a young couple in London, we were so excited when we managed to achieve our dream, and get on the property ladder in 2015. Fast forward to 2018, and our dream has turned into a nightmare. In January, we learned our building is covered in ACM cladding, similar to that on Grenfell Tower, where 71 people died in a tragic fire. Our home, we soon understood, could go up in flames just as quickly. What’s more, in order to make it safe, we were being asked to pay for the removal and replacement of the dangerous cladding, at a cost of nearly £40,000 per flat. Cladding that had been chosen and implemented by building owners and developers. It’s hard to know what to worry about more - the risk to our lives, or the financial ruin we face to fix it.

We are not alone. Across the country, nearly 300 tower blocks are affected, and thousands of real people face bankruptcy.

The Government have said they believe building owners and developers have a moral responsibility to ‘do the right thing’ and cover the costs of their mistakes. But they are being ignored by developers such as Durkan and Lendlease UK. We urge Secretary of State James Brokenshire, the Housing Minister Kit Malthouse and their Government teams to enforce this and take innocent leaseholders out of the financial firing line.

We ask you to support this petition to help us achieve this - because we firmly believe that Leaseholders deserve to live without fear of sacrificing their financial futures just to sleep safe at home every night.