Dandara and Avant edge closer to signing cladding contract

Two of the remaining four housebuilders who were ‘named and shamed’ by Michael Gove for missing a cladding contract deadline are closer to signing.

The housing secretary last month in parliament listed 11 housebuilders who had missed a six-week deadline to sign the contract, which gives legal force to a pledge to remediate their own blocks over 11m going back 30 years. Gove has threatened to put the housebuilders out of business using new legal powers in the Building Safety Act if they don’t sign.

All but four of the 11 housebuilders have now signed.

Of the remaining four, Housing Today understands £505m turnover Avant Homes is in talks with Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) officials and is expecting to sign the contract soon.

A spokesperson for Dandara said that it too wants to sign the contract “as soon as possible” and is  having “positive” talks with DLUHC about the details.

He said: “We are pleased that we have signed the Developers Pledge Letter and maintain that our intention is to sign the Developer Remediation contract as soon as possible.

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“We are having positive conversations with DLUHC regarding the details and also relevant owners and management companies as we investigate the remediation works that may be required in respect of fire safety issues.”

A spokesperson for Avant declined to comment.

Of the other two housebuilders on Gove’s list Abbey Developments has so far not responded to a request for comment.

Meanwhile £19m-turnover Rydon Homes is the only housebuilder to signal it might refuse to sign the contract, saying in March it believes it falls into a category of a SME housebuilder and therefore should not be included.