Economy · Housing & mortgages · 28 October 2026
Government estimates cost of cladding remediation in England
House of Commons Library has published estimates for the number of residential buildings in England requiring cladding remediation and the associated costs. The data covers buildings 11 metres and over in height. The exact number of buildings needing remediation is not known.
House of Commons Library has published estimates provided by the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government regarding residential buildings in England that require cladding remediation. These figures follow changes to the building safety regime introduced after the Grenfell Tower fire in June 2017. The Building Safety (Remediation of Unsafe Cladding etc) Bill 2026-27 is the most recent legislation in this area.
As of March 2026, it is estimated that between 5,900 and 7,400 residential buildings in England have or had unsafe cladding. This includes 2,800 to 3,700 mid-rise buildings between 11 metres and 18 metres, and 3,100 to 3,700 high-rise buildings of 18 metres and above. The estimated total cost of remediation is between £11.8 billion and £22.7 billion, with the government expected to fund between £6.7 billion and £15.2 billion.
Non-government actors are expected to fund between £5.2 billion and £7.4 billion of the total cost. MHCLG was monitoring 4,724 residential buildings identified with unsafe cladding as of the end of August 2026. This number represents between 65% and 81% of all buildings 11 metres and over expected to be remediated.
The estimates apply only to residential buildings 11 metres or more in height and are subject to change as more information becomes available. The exact number of buildings needing remediation is not known. Unsafe cladding is defined as systems containing combustible materials that failed BS8414 tests commissioned in summer 2017.
The announcement does not specify the timeline for completing the remediation work on the monitored buildings. It also does not detail the specific criteria for determining which non-government actors will contribute to the funding.
Written by StreetOwl from House of Commons Library’s own announcement. It was drafted by StreetOwl’s own model, every figure and quotation was checked by code against the announcement, and it was read and approved by Michael Rossi before it went up. It says what was announced, not what anyone should do about it.
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