Legal experts work with tenants following Grenfell Tower fire

Press Office
Picture of Grenfell Tower in the distance with houses in the forefront
Grenfell Tower by Matt Brown }

Legal experts from the University are conducting research for the homelessness charity Shelter and asking tenants to help them research gaps in the law exposed by the Grenfell Tower fire.

Professor Helen Carr and Dr Ed Kirton-Darling of Kent Law School, with the University of Bristol’s Professor Dave Cowan and Ed Burtonshaw-Gunn, want to hear from people about the challenges they face ensuring their homes are safe.

The objectives of the Shelter project are:

  • To set out clearly the gaps in current legislation which may make housing less safe and/or prevent households from remedying problems;
  • To set out where lack of enforcement undermines existing legal protections;
  • To identify legal remedies to strengthen protection for tenants.

As well as tenants, the team is looking for evidence from social landlords, lawyers and other professionals to complete a short online questionnaire.

Findings from the survey will be included in an anonymised report for Shelter.

At least 80 people died after fire broke out at the 24-storey Grenfell Tower block of public housing flats in Kensington, London, on 14 June 2017. The fire service believes the fire started accidentally but its rapid spread is thought to have been accelerated by the building’s exterior cladding. A public inquiry was announced by the Government in August 2017 to make recommendations to prevent a similar tragedy happening again.