Thank you for the link

Not the Car Wash Guru? The Scouse fella?

So here's the thing. I cleaned my car at the weekend, and no matter how hard I try, tons of little bits of dust and crumbs just stay stuck in the upholstery, after I brush and hoover. That chap there seems to run his hoover over it and all the stuff just happily shoots up his pipe.

What does he know that I don't (aside from how to clean cars)?

Is the other dude okay?

Yes him and his passenger are ok. I made sure the paramedics checked them.

We are lucky and good engineering helped.

He has only passed his test and been driving a few months.

Your understanding of the other driver being inexperienced and your lack of anger is really humbling, Kov.

The claim for injuries or to get your excess back, and to get it resolved as a non-fault will take forever. Mine is still ongoing and it's coming up to a year ago now.

As a resident person going though this, still trying to get it resolved a year later, I'm just saying what I have experienced.

Should’ve gone with Sat when I suggested it. He’d have had it sorted by now

Before you ask, just get another Octavia.

Glad you're ok. x

I've been trying to buy a flat for god knows how long, and everything that could go wrong so far has gone wrong. So post January this year as part of the Grenfell fire follow-up there's a new process for lenders to assess risk of issuing mortgages on flats. The valuer conducts a valuation. If the building is taller than 18m or the valuer notes that there are cladding materials that may possibly be combustible then the lender requires that the buyer provide an EWS1 form completed by a fire safety certified chartered surveyor to confirm that the cladding materials will not support combustion.

There are problems with this.

Firstly, the surveyor is not a fire safety certified chartered surveyor, therefore if there is cladding, the valuation will by necessity state that there are cladding materials that may possibly be combustible, triggering the EWS1 process even in low-rise buildings
Secondly, there are nowhere close to enough fire-safety certified surveyors to meet the demand for these forms
Thirdly, insurers are advising the certified surveyors not to fill out and sign the EWS1 forms due to liability risks

It's effectively impossible right now to buy or sell a flat with any cladding of any kind.

I've been trying to buy a flat for god knows how long, and everything that could go wrong so far has gone wrong. So post January this year as part of the Grenfell fire follow-up there's a new process for lenders to assess risk of issuing mortgages on flats. The valuer conducts a valuation. If the building is taller than 18m or the valuer notes that there are cladding materials that may possibly be combustible then the lender requires that the buyer provide an EWS1 form completed by a fire safety certified chartered surveyor to confirm that the cladding materials will not support combustion.

There are problems with this.

Firstly, the surveyor is not a fire safety certified chartered surveyor, therefore if there is cladding, the valuation will by necessity state that there are cladding materials that may possibly be combustible, triggering the EWS1 process even in low-rise buildings
Secondly, there are nowhere close to enough fire-safety certified surveyors to meet the demand for these forms
Thirdly, insurers are advising the certified surveyors not to fill out and sign the EWS1 forms due to liability risks

It's effectively impossible right now to buy or sell a flat with any cladding of any kind.

Oh man, that's an issue and a half!

You'd have thought it would be in the interests of the management company and/or building owners to get the building assessed so that when this comes up, there is a document or certificate that the valuer can just go look at. Would they not need something along those lines for their insurance, anyway? Surely if you don't prove your building can turn into a giant candle, your insurance would be astronomical so it'd be sensible to do, just to reduce that liability?

I know it probably doesn't help you. Is it a question that could be asked though? Just throwing ideas around, really.

There's no real motivation from the management company who are the leaseholder to get it done, unfortunately - they don't care if the individual units are bought or sold. I don't believe there's currently any insurance implications

There's no real motivation from the management company who are the leaseholder to get it done, unfortunately - they don't care if the individual units are bought or sold. I don't believe there's currently any insurance implications