Ben Randall of Collegiate Underwriting warned that there were “huge, unresolved fire safety problems in tall residential buildings” after a fire broke out in a block of flats in Dagenham.

Around 40 fire engines and around 225 firefighters fought the fire on Freshwater Road in the early hours of Monday (26 August 2024).

The entire building was affected, including the scaffolding surrounding the property and the roof.

Randall, Underwriting Manager at Collegiate, then explained that due to a shortage of fire safety assessors, not all fire safety problems in existing buildings have yet been identified.

“This horrific fire is another reminder of the enormous fire safety challenges facing tall residential buildings,” he said. Insurance periods.

“Guided by updated building regulations that set out what is required, the construction industry is working hard to fix the existing construction problems, but it will be many years before this is completed.

“Due to the lack of qualified fire risk assessors, not all fire safety problems in existing buildings have been identified or remediation strategies developed.”

Grenfell

Back in July 2021, the Government published its Building Safety Bill with the aim of bringing about lasting change and a clear path for the future in relation to the construction and maintenance of residential buildings.

This decision was made after the Grenfell Tower fire in 2017, in which 72 people lost their lives.

This two-tier control system involves the implementation of specific gateway points to ensure that safety risks are considered from the earliest stage of the design process through to the completion of the building.

However, Randall explained that after the Grenfell Tower fire there was a “tendency to believe that the problems identified had all been solved, which is far from the case”.

“A large proportion of the affected buildings still need to be rehabilitated, leaving thousands of people exposed to these risks every day,” he said.

“It would be easy to assume that since the Grenfell incident and the subsequent draft legislation, all existing deficiencies in fire safety have been identified and professional indemnity insurers have been informed of the failures.

“It’s different for us. We continue to see a steady influx of new reports of fire safety deficiencies in buildings.”