<p><span>The government has reopened its Building Safety Fund for new applicants for buildings of more than 18 metres with cladding defects.</span></p> <p><span>Owners and landlords of these buildings can apply for their share of the £4.5 billion funding which, the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLHC) said, had so far allocated more than £1.3 billion towards remediating unsafe homes since it launched in 2020.</span></p> <p><span>DLUHC has also introduced an online Leaseholder Protections Checker, allowing leaseholders to discover if they qualify for protection from paying remediation costs under the Building Safety Act. </span></p> <p><span>This legislation came into effect in June, with leaseholders now able to prove legally that they are not liable for historical building safety costs – DLUHC said qualifying leaseholders would not have to pay for the “majority” of fire safety defects. </span></p> <p><span>Landlords and building owners are now “the first port of call” for funding necessary works. Under the Building Safety Act, if they attempt to pursue leaseholders for payment of historical safety fixes, they could now face prosecution, unless they can prove they are legally entitled to seek the costs.</span></p> <p><span>Leaseholders protected from costs will need to submit a leaseholder Deed of Certificate to their building …