Building owners could face prison if they have not removed unsafe cladding by 2029, according to a new government plan.
A minister has warned landlords “we are after them” ahead of launching a remediation acceleration plan on Monday to speed up the removal of dangerous cladding.
Seven years after the Grenfell Tower fire, where 72 people died, thousands of people are still living in buildings with unsafe cladding, and many cannot sell or remortgage their flats because of it.
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The government said there could be up to 7,000 buildings with dangerous materials that are yet to be identified, while progress on remediation work on high-rises with known issues has been too slow.
New targets to fix unsafe buildings in England, ensure rogue freeholders are held to account and ensure there is “an end in sight” for affected residents will be revealed in the plan.
Funding for enforcement of the new rules will also be provided so local authorities, fire and rescue authorities and the building safety regulator have the capacity to tackle hundreds of unsafe cladding cases a year, the government said.
Under the plan, all buildings over 59ft (18m) tall with unsafe cladding on the government scheme will have been remediated by 2029.
Buildings over 36ft (11m) tall with unsafe cladding will either have to be remediated or have a date for completion by 2029.
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Building safety minister Alex Norris told Sky News’ Kay Burley: “I would want people who own buildings that are watching this, who have not been remediating them, to know we are on them, we are after them, and we want those buildings remediated. And if they don’t, they will feel the force of the law.
“We have a range of powers already, ranging from fines to prison sentences, that can be used in health and safety cases.
“We will use that basket of tools in whatever way with each building to get it resolved. We have committed that that will be the case by the end of this decade.”
Mr Norris said an estimated 4,000 to 7,000 buildings with flammable cladding have not been identified.
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Campaigners said the government’s plans are “extremely disappointing” and will “only make a horribly complicated process worse” due to more bureaucracy.
End Our Cladding Scandal, a group representing leaseholders in unsafe buildings, said the government is “still far from a comprehensive solution” on building safety.
The group said the 2029 target date is nine years after the Building Safety Fund first opened so is “underwhelming”, and penalties for landlords are “meaningless without leaseholders and residents knowing for sure when homes will be made fully safe”.
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Deputy Prime Minister and Housing Secretary Angela Rayner said: “The pace of remediation has been far too slow for far too long. We are taking decisive action to right this wrong and make homes safe.
“Our remediation acceleration plan will ensure those responsible for making buildings safe deliver the change residents need and deserve.”
