‘Lenders won’t touch us – my home’s worth nothing’

“The government announcement has once again made no difference to the millions of leaseholders trapped in unsellable and mortgageable homes.

Ministers inadvertently expanded the scope of the cladding crisis in January 2020 when they said residential blocks of any height should be checked for fire risks.

No one wants to buy these flats with these problems, a lender won’t touch us at the moment,” said Ms Lee.

For Jelena and Igor Solovjova the problem isn’t the cladding on their building in Ipswich, but the insulation and plywood beneath it.

While his wife, Jelena, who is 35, is working three jobs to cover the increasing costs.

“This is stressful for us,” she said.

That’s left leaseholders like Georgie Hulme, who lives on the third floor of a low-rise block in south Manchester, feeling angry and trapped.

Ms Hulme, 42, who has disabilities and can’t work, now fears bankruptcy.

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