Only 1% of industry professionals have total faith in the government to resolve the cladding issue within two years

15 March 2021

A webinar poll undertaken by Countrywide Surveying Services (CSS), one of the leading suppliers of valuation panel management services, highlighted that only 1% of industry professionals have the utmost faith in the government - north and south of the border - to resolve the cladding issue within the next two years.

This response emerged at Countrywide Surveying Services’ inaugural monthly webinar series which revolved around a panel debate on cladding. Over 500 people registered for the webinar with 350 actively engaging with the session. The audience consisted of lenders, brokers, surveyors and other property professionals.

The panel included representatives from a number of major lenders and the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) who joined John Baguley and Matthew Cumber from Countrywide.

The poll was taken during the webinar and posed the question: How much faith do you have in the government (north and south of the border) to resolve the cladding issue within the next 2 years?

256 attendees voted with 50% saying they were ‘not confident’, 34% were ‘unsure’, 15% suggested that they were ‘somewhat confident’ whilst only 1% opted for the ‘very confident’ option.

Matthew Cumber, managing director of Countrywide Surveying Services, said:

“Cladding is an issue which has generated huge amounts of column inches and concern across the industry. As one of the largest surveyor workforces in the UK, we have a duty to raise awareness and help educate property professionals on all aspects of residential property valuations.

“This is an area which needs immediate action and clarity. I understand the concerns of industry professionals when it comes to the resolution of cladding-related issues and it demonstrates how a joined-up, responsible and comprehensive approach is urgently needed from the government, backed by all links in the property chain.”

John Baguley, Director of Technical, Risk and Compliance at Countrywide Surveying Services, added:

“We always knew that cladding would be a hot topic for our first webinar, but who knew it would be this popular. A big thanks to our fellow panellists and I sincerely hope that between us, the lending community and RICS we can remove the 18ft ruling so that no matter the type or size of property, they can all be assessed fairly and those that require remedial work are treated equally.”