The government has hit back at claims from the National Residential Landlords Association that buy to let landlords are being left out of considerations about covering the costs of remediation work to be done on blocks with cladding.

Last month Housing Secretary Michael Gove announced plans to force developers to pay for remedial action to tackle dangerous cladding on buildings between 11 and 18 metres high.

In the same announcement he argued that leaseholders should not be expected to foot the bill. However, ministers have yet to decide if buy to let  landlords will be included within the scheme.

The NRLA is warning that the government is not treating all leaseholders equally and that this risks delaying remedial work on dangerous cladding as the government seeks to understand who may be an accidental or BTL landlord. 

However, a spokesperson the Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities says: “We are bringing this scandal to an end – protecting leaseholders and making industry pay.

“It is not right that innocent leaseholders – including those who have moved out and now sub-let their properties – should pay to remove dangerous cladding for which they were not responsible.

“We will explore whether this support should extend to other leaseholders, such as buy to let landlords.”