Grenfell: 'I go to sleep at night wondering if we are safe' (2024)

Grenfell: 'I go to sleep at night wondering if we are safe' (1)Grenfell: 'I go to sleep at night wondering if we are safe' (2)BBC

Hamid El-Ouahabi remembers the pain and trauma of what his community experienced following the Grenfell Tower fire.

He is a sports coach at a school underneath the tower and lost pupils and friends he worked with to the tragedy.

Seven years on from the fire, the 46-year-old has discovered that his own home, a short distance away in Earls Court in west London, has a flammable exterior.

“As a parent, I go to sleep at night thinking, 'are we safe?'”

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Hamid is one of many Londoners living in a building that is deemed unsafe. After a fire in Dagenham, east London, in August, London fire commissioner Andy Roesaid there were some 1,300 buildings in need of remediation work in the capital.

Father-of-three Hamid, who owns a share of his flat, says: “After what we witnessed with Grenfell, to think there’s buildings a mile away from Grenfell covered in flammable render - it’s horrific.”

His landlord is Notting Hill Genesis. In a statement, it said: “Our residents’ safety is always our first priority and we have carried out extensive investigations to the external wall, which have revealed issues that require remediation work.

"This work will be fully funded and not recharged to leaseholders. We have put in place interim measures as advised by our appointed fire safety experts to mitigate any risk and ensure residents' safety until all necessary work can be completed.”

'Biggest mistake of my life'

In 2022, the government announced that no leaseholder living in a building more than 11m (36ft) high would face any charges for fixing dangerous cladding and that the cost of making a block of flats safe should to be absorbed by the owners of the whole building and the land (also known as the freeholder).

But BBC London has spoken to many people who say they are “trapped” in homes they cannot sell as disputes over who pays for what continue.

Martin Raychev, 47, bought his flat on the seventh floor of a new build in Barnet, north London, in 2015. He says buying the leasehold home was “the biggest mistake of my life”.

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After the Grenfell fire, his building was found to have flammable cladding and insulation.

He says the fire in Dagenham was a reminder of the dangers residents like him face.

“When we saw the fire in Dagenham, which is a very similar building, I thought that I should probably buy some anti-smoke masks.”

Work to make his building safer started at the beginning of the year but stopped after two months.

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He received a letter to say the freeholder had gone in to administration, so the contractors stopped working as they were not being paid.

That means the building has been left without usable balconies, and without exterior covering on the walls, and Martin says he and his neighbours have no idea how safe the site is.

In a joint statement on behalf of the administrators and receivers of the building, Savvas Socratous, of Alexander Lawson Surveyors, said: "All of the combustible cladding has now been removed from the building."

When BBC London visited the site on 2 September, the work appeared to be incomplete and a waking watch - a safety system that involves trained people patrolling a building to detect and respond to fires - was still present. Mr Socratous said the patrol had since been approved to be removed by insurers.

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As well as the safety concerns, the financial pressure of living in a home like this is affecting leaseholders and tenants all over the UK.

Martin says he was paying £2,000 a year in service charges before the Grenfell tragedy, but this year the bill amounted to more than £7,000. Martin is only paying a proportion of his service charge as he feels the costs are unjustified.

He says the cost of the 24-hour waking watch for his block of 95 flats was £355,000 and other “inflated” costs have caused his service charge to rocket.

Additionally, since the defects with the building were discovered, he has personally received a number of "eye-watering" bills. One seen by the BBC was for nearly £66,000, a bill he hasn't paid.

Martin says he was told by a mortgage adviser that his building was “blacklisted” because of the defects so he is limited for options to remortgage and cannot sell.

The BBC understands several managing agents have been looking after the building in recent years. The current agent, Maunder Taylor, referred us to the administrators.

In a statement, Mr Socratous said that the "issues regarding fire safety and defects of the building all significantly pre-date" both the managing agent and its involvement.

The statement added that it was "the priority of the administrators and receivers to work to bring about a swift resolution for the benefit and safety of the residents". He added they were working "to restart funding for cladding rectification and begin necessary works for compliance".

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For Hamid, too, the repercussions of the fire safety issues in his building have had a significant financial impact. He says because of the the cost of insurance, his service charge bills have gone from £200 to £600 a month, a rise the father of three says he cannot afford.

He says: “We bought these properties in good faith and to be told 20 years later, out of our control we’re going to be charged this sum, is a kick in the teeth.”

In a statement Notting Hill Genesis said: “We appreciate that this is a significant increase in the service charge and understand the challenges it presents leaseholders.

“Notting Hill Genesis does not own the building, did not construct it and is not responsible for its insurance. We are a not-for-profit housing provider who acquired the head lease when the estate opened in 2000.

"Some of the inhabitants have acquired their properties under shared ownership and are responsible for paying the service charges. We administer the service charges, which includes insurance premiums passed on at cost and sourced by insurance brokers who search the market for the most cost-effective and appropriate policy.”

The BBC has contacted the freeholder, Seven Capital Mark Ltd, for comment but has not received a response.

'Trapped in unsafe homes'

According to government figures, 4,630 buildings over 11m (36ft) were identified as needing dangerous cladding removed but the latest data showed work had not yet started on half of those sites.

Giles Grover from campaign group End Our Cladding Scandal believes the actual the figure is much higher. “There's still many, many more to be assessed," he said.

“It’s a national scandal. We need to remember that we might talk about buildings, but it's the people in the buildings, it's the people we need to focus on.”

The Grenfell Inquiry made 58 recommendations including for an “urgent” review of the definition of "higher-risk" buildings.

In response to the inquiry's findings, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said it was taking too long to remove cladding from buildings and the government would take steps to speed up the removal process - including potentially forcing freeholders to assess their buildings and fix issues within a set time.

But residents like Hamid and Martin say they have been left stuck for too long in unsafe homes they cannot sell.

Hamid says: “If there’s anything that comes out of Grenfell it should be that every building should be fire safe, every family should have the right to know that they’re not sleeping in a high-risk building."

Grenfell Tower fire

London

Barnet

Earls Court

Grenfell: 'I go to sleep at night wondering if we are safe' (2024)

FAQs

How many died in Grenfell Tower? ›

What actually started the Grenfell fire? ›

The fire began in a Hotpoint fridge-freezer in the kitchen of flat 16, but rapidly spread on all four sides of the building. By 03:30 GMT, the entire building was engulfed in flames. Rescue services were deployed and rescued 65 people from the 24-storey building ablaze.

When was the Grenfell disaster? ›

Just before 01:00 on 14 June 2017, a fire broke out in the kitchen of a fourth floor flat in the Grenfell Tower in North Kensington, West London. Within minutes, it had spread to cladding that had been added to the 23-storey building's exterior in a recent renovation.

What is Grenfell Tower? ›

Grenfell Tower is a derelict 24-storey residential tower block in North Kensington in London, England. The tower was completed in 1974 as part of the first phase of the Lancaster West Estate. Most of the tower was destroyed in a severe fire on 14 June 2017.

Did anyone survive Grenfell? ›

On 14 June 2017, a high-rise fire broke out in the 24-storey Grenfell Tower block of flats in North Kensington, West London, at 00:54 BST and burned for 60 hours. Seventy people died at the scene and two people died later in hospital, with more than 70 injured and 223 escaping.

Will the Grenfell Tower ever be demolished? ›

No decisions have been made about the tower's future and whether it will be demolished. It remains standing in North Kensington in west London, covered in a protective wrap. The Grenfell Tower Memorial Commission - set up with the government in 2018 - is overseeing plans to create a permanent memorial at the site.

Who was to blame for Grenfell Tower? ›

LONDON, Sept 4 (Reuters) - A public inquiry into the devastating 2017 London Grenfell Tower blaze concluded on Wednesday that a "culmination of decades of failure" by the government and the construction industry ultimately led to the disaster that killed 72 people.

Did people jump out of Grenfell? ›

Firefighter who was just inches from man who jumped to his death from burning Grenfell Tower tells of the horrifying scene he witnessed. Firefighters have given dramatic evidence of how they stumbled around in zero visibility trying to to save Grenfell residents from the inferno.

Why did Grenfell Tower burn so quickly? ›

The cladding panels were made of flammable material and were the main reason a small fire in a fourth-floor apartment kitchen spread so quickly, lighting up the tower like a torch.

Why did Grenfell fridge catch fire? ›

The fire that engulfed Grenfell Tower probably started due to overheated wiring in a fridge-freezer, according to one expert. John Glover told the inquiry into the blaze that a connector in a Hotpoint FF175BP in flat 16 of the block had a "poor crimp connection".

Who owned Grenfell Tower? ›

Kensington and Chelsea London Borough Council owns Grenfell Tower as part of its council housing stock. It handed over management of the building to the newly-created Kensington and Chelsea Tenant Management Organisation in 1996.

Why did Grenfell Tower fail? ›

Grenfell's 'path to disaster' that led to 72 deaths

The report highlighted the "systematic dishonesty" of manufacturers as a reason for the tower block being clad in combustible materials. One manufacturer was also found to have “deliberately concealed” the fire risks its cladding posed.

Who died at Grenfell? ›

'She was so proud to live in Grenfell Tower': The 72 people killed by the fire
  • Marco Gottardi, 27. ...
  • Gloria Trevisan, 26. ...
  • Raymond Bernard, 63. ...
  • Fethia Hassan, four. ...
  • Hesham Rahman, 57. ...
  • Mohamed Neda, 57. ...
  • Fathia Ahmed Elsanousi, 73. ...
  • Zainab Choucair, three.
6 days ago

What is Grenfell famous for? ›

Steeped in gold rush history and bushranger legends, and the birthplace of a famous Australian poet, the historic town of Grenfell in Country NSW is brimming with fascinating heritage.

Why is Grenfell so important? ›

The Grenfell Inquiry's final report sets out how a chain of failures across government and the private sector led to Grenfell Tower becoming a death trap. The fire killed 72 people in 2017, with the cladding already found to be the “principal” reason for the blaze's rapid spread.

Who was to blame for the Grenfell Tower fire? ›

The report detailed how the government, council, architects, contractors, local council and management firms involved in refitting the exterior with flammable cladding - exterior panels designed to improve appearance and add insulation - bear much of the blame for what happened seven years ago.

How much did Grenfell survivors get? ›

In total, 900 bereaved relatives, survivors and Grenfell residents last year received £150 million – an average of £166,000 each – after settling legal claims brought against those responsible for the tragedy, including the London Fire Commissioner.

Why was Grenfell Tower so bad? ›

The Grenfell Tower Enquiry also heard “that the building's smoke extraction system was not working, and that firefighters experienced problems with the water supply because there was no 'wet riser' - a water-filled pipe running up the building to be used in the event of fire.” In addition to this already deadly ...

How many Grenfell survivors have been rehoused? ›

Many of the 194 households who have been rehoused are not white, and many were not born in the UK. However, the rehousing process has been slow and RBKC has previously apologised for its approach to rehousing in the aftermath of the fire.

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