We're trapped in the siding scandal and can't find a way out

I am one of many residents caught up in the paving scandal following the Grenfell Tower tragedy. I share ownership of my apartment with the housing association L&Q, which took nearly four years to inspect the block for fire safety compliance. He found that it may not meet current safety guidelines (the estate was built by Rydon, who led the renovation of Grenfell). Further inspections are needed and remediation work on the estate will not begin until 2025 at the earliest.

Since my block is only four stories high, it will probably be one of the last on the estate to deal with, so it could take years more. This prevents residents from selling or reducing their share of ownership. In the meantime, I'm facing inflationary rent and service charge increases for a property that's essentially worthless, let alone the potential costs of repairs. And because the building is less than 11 meters tall, it is not eligible for the government's building safety fund.

The final insult is that the letter from L&Q to residents recognized that building safety issues can have a "life-changing" impact and directed them to Mind and the NHS. It's like they are washing their hands of the problem.CS, London

You urgently need to sell your apartment since 2020 after a job change. Last year, while you were languishing in limbo, your rents and charges increased by more than 7%. It's expected to rise 10% this year, and your mortgage will skyrocket when your fixed-rate contract ends in July. So you're already strapped for cash and the potential costs of repair work on your block could be crippling.

A government deal, struck with developers last year to fix unsafe buildings at no cost to tenants, only applies to blocks over 11 meters high and campaigners have warned it could be 2030 before work is complete. Residents like you in smaller buildings have been forgotten.

The good news is that weeks after contacting L&Q, they agreed to buy out your share of the apartment, so you are free to move around. He attributed the four-year delay to a shortage of qualified fire safety inspectors and the breadth of his portfolio. It has inspected 1,000 of its 1,850 buildings. Only 300 have received a crucial EWS1 (External Wall System fire review) certificate proving that the wall materials are incombustible. Remediation commenced 60.

"Inspection of this property has identified that some level of remediation work may be required pending further inspections technical, but there is no need for urgent security measures," it says. "We are doing all we can to support residents wishing to relocate or remortgage, by providing clarification letters to lenders, including challenging some lenders' interpretation of the EWS1 scheme."

EM is in a similar situation. He and his partner risk losing the sale of their apartment because their buyer's mortgage lender insists on an EWS1 certificate, even though their low-rise building doesn't legally need one. "It was built in 2019 and has no combustible facing, but Nationwide insists on a fire safety certificate," he wrote.

In 2021, after a wave of property sales stalled, the government announced that certificates were no longer required for buildings under 18 meters. The Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors have taken their breath away as they continue to recommend that low-rise buildings, with one of three types of panels, be certified non-combustible. Your building has none.

Most lenders are now taking a more relaxed approach to low and mid blocks. Some are even willing to lend on taller buildings with risky cladding, provided a remediation program has been agreed.

Nationwide's position puts you in an impossible position. The certificate can only be issued after an official inspection of the entire block. These cost thousands of dollars, and the free owner is unlikely to accept one, let alone pay for it, unless it is legally required.

It appears that Nationwide is concerned about the potential for combustible insulation behind the brick slips (brick effect tiles) on the building and has told me that they are awaiting further material information.

The construction company duly provided them, which showed the materials were non-combustible. This still didn't satisfy Nationwide, who claimed the information might not be reliable, and again insisted on the EWS1 you can't get.

"Nationwide will only request an EWS1 in the limited circumstances where there are significant repair concerns...