Plot N26

Triathlon Homes has residents in four tall blocks in N26 - Chroma Mansions, Kaleidoscope House, Meller House and Seasons House.

All of these blocks are above 18m in height. The buildings were completed in 2012, and were certified as meeting all building and fire safety regulations at the time they were built.

In 2019, the government produced new guidance to check the safety of the external wall systems in tall buildings. As a result, building management teams across the country must now make sure all tall buildings are compliant with the guidance and safety defects are addressed.

Investigations on all four blocks have now concluded and have identified some areas where work is required in order to meet the required safety standards.

What steps have been taken at N26?

1. Completion of investigations on all four blocks

EVML's experts have completed investigations into the building materials used and standard of construction within the external walls, and have received the fire engineer’s findings.

2. Reviewed the findings

EVML has reviewed the findings. On review of these, it was shown that EVML needs to carry out remedial work to these four blocks to ensure that they comply with the government’s guidelines and can receive an EWS1 form at a B1 rating

3. Installed a new plot-wide heat detection system

This was installed across N26 in March 2021, and enabled EVML to stand down the "Waking Watch" that had previously been in place.

4. Ensured that applications are made for all available government funding

All of the buildings have been registered for the government’s  Building Safety Fund via EVML and we are waiting to hear about eligibility to go to the next stage of the process. A Waking Watch Relief Fund application for the N26 plot has been submitted to the Ministry for Housing, Community & Local Government (MHCLG) to cover the costs of alarm installation across the plot.

EVML is managing this process, and we will communicate updates to residents as soon as we have them.

5. Begun the legal Section20 process

On 12 May 2021, EVML issued a Section 20 Notice of Intention to carry out the remedial works required at N26. The Notice of Intention is not a bill, or a guarantee that costs will be passed to leaseholders. We remain committed to exhausting all possible funding options before costs are passed on.

What did the Fire Engineers find?

The investigation showed that within the buildings across the plot:

• The areas of walls with the terracotta tile cladding does not comply with Building Regulations. This is because there are inadequate fire barriers at the junctions with the floors and walls.

• The construction includes combustible insulation which has not been fully encapsulated.

• They also found there are some gaps in fire barriers behind the aluminium panels between the windows.

• Further investigation is being undertaken on the balconies throughout the plot. The engineers stated that no combustible materials should be stored on the balconies.

How are you keeping residents safe?

EVML has taken advice from the fire brigade and its fire safety engineers to make sure that your homes have the right additional precautions in place to ensure your safety in the event of a fire and a need to evacuate the buildings.

EVML has completed the installation of a new heat detection system within the N26 plot, and this is now fully functional.
 
All our fire alarms are monitored 24/7 by trained staff in the on-site control room. 

What happens next?

EVML has commissioned an engineering and design team to produce a fully costed specification to submit to the MHCLG Building Safety Fund. We are still awaiting confirmation of the buildings’ eligibility.

We will be communicating with you regularly about progress - please make sure we have your most up to date email address so that we can send you updates, particularly if you are a non-resident landlord.

We will keep this microsite updated with information as this becomes available.

We will be communicating with you regularly about progress - please make sure we have your most up to date email address so that we can send you updates, particularly if you are a non-resident landlord.

Are we safe? 

We would like to reassure you that you are safe. EVML is in regular contact with the local fire service, and have taken all their advice and suggested measures to mitigate any risk to you and your neighbours. 

What is the EWS1 form for? 

The government issued guidance about external wall safety throughout 2018 and 2019. It established the need to inspect the external wall systems for fire safety.

The EWS1 form (or certificate) was developed by lenders with the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors to document the outcome of an assessment of the external wall construction of tall buildings.

Getting the information required to complete this form often requires significant intrusive inspection and testing of the fabric of the building. This is because to comply with current government safety guidelines, building owners cannot rely on the fact a building received Building Control sign off at the time it was built. 

Many mortgage lenders will look at the EWS1 rating of a building in their decisions of whether to issue a mortgage on a property. 

What happens next? 

EVML has commissioned an engineer and design team to produce a fully costed specification to submit to the MHCLG Building Safety Fund and to prepare for the necessary remedial work.

We are currently waiting to hear whether the buildings are eligible for the fund. EVML and their technical experts are liaising with the MHCLG about this.

Will leaseholders be charged for the costs of the building safety work? 

We will do all we can to protect leaseholders from the cost of remedial work and are hoping to receive government funding and are working with EVML to progress any legal routes to cost recovery. These are both uncertain and we know this issue is worrying for you.

EVML has registered the blocks in N26 for the government’s Building Safety Fund and the Waking Watch Relief Fund. We are waiting for news on each and will let you know as soon as we hear. The purpose of the Waking Watch Relief Fund is to cover the costs for installing the common alarm system which allowed the removal of the Waking Watch.

At this stage we do not know the timescales for review. EVML meet regularly with the MHCLG to progress the application process and to discuss the technical issues. We have begun the Section 20 process as a mechanism to consult with you and because it is a legal requirement. Undertaking this process also highlights that the charges may be passed to you in your service charge. We are a long way from that stage yet, and we remain determined to follow all possible routes of funding before we pass anything onto leaseholders. We’ll keep you updated about any impact on your service charge.

Doesn't the reserve, or sinking fund, cover the work that is required?

Some residents have raised the possibility of using the reserve, or “sinking” fund, as a way of offsetting costs to residents.

At East Village, the sinking fund is used for two main purposes, the long-term maintenance and repair of the blocks (lift renewal etc.) and shorter term projects such as the decoration programme. The fund is held by EVML on your behalf and audited annually. Some residents would like to draw on these funds for the fire safety work. However, on an East Village wide level, using the sinking funds for the fire safety works would leave the fund unable to meet the future obligations to repair the blocks.