The Reality of Living in a Fire Risk Apartment: My Experience

After recently reading a thought-provoking post on Reddit’s r/housingUK about someone considering purchasing a property with significant fire hazards, I felt compelled to share my own experiences living in an apartment block riddled with similar issues.

I resided in the building for four years, unaware of the serious risks lurking beneath its facade until much later. Initially, there was a ‘Waking Watch’ in place, which finally alerted us to substantial problems, including concerns over cladding and the stacking of timber balconies that posed a fire threat.

Last summer marked the beginning of a lengthy construction project aimed at addressing these dangers. I was living in core 1, where the renovation work commenced, and it quickly became apparent that this three-year timeline might stretch even longer. For an entire summer, access to our two balconies was completely restricted; this resulted in stifling indoor conditions and an unending barrage of noise. As a hybrid worker, I spent two to three days at home each week, making an uncomfortable situation even more challenging. In light of these circumstances, we opted to exercise our break clause and I moved out in mid-October.

Since my departure, I’ve learned that the management is now offering alternative accommodations to some residents for the duration of the construction. Thankfully, I managed to escape just in time.

What truly troubles me is how the ongoing construction is omitted from rental and property sale listings. Even as rental prices remain inflated—averaging around £3,000—there’s no acknowledgment of the fact that renovations will extend for another two and a half years.

While I support the work being undertaken and recognize that it will ultimately contribute to a safer living environment, I also reflect on how much I cherished living in that community. The views and surroundings were extraordinary, and my heart goes out to those leaseholders and tenants still ensnared in this predicament. Although the situation will improve in the long run, my own experience was overwhelmingly negative for the last four months, and I was fortunate enough to have the option to leave.

It’s frustrating that it takes such significant disruption and financial burden to rectify construction practices that should never have been allowed in the first place. Prior to my time in that apartment, I worked as a freelance minute taker for the Kensington & Chelsea Council, participating in residential meetings focused on post-Grenfell safety discussions. This background has made it painfully clear to me how widespread the construction failings