First suicide victim linked to cladding scandal ‘terrified by soaring bills’

The cladding scandal was a ‘significant factor’ in the suicide of a young property entrepreneur, a friend of the victim has said.

Tom Mansell, 37, faced six-figure bills to cover rising insurance premiums and replace unsafe cladding on four flats he let out in high-rise blocks in Leeds.

Costs on one of the flats alone were estimated at £50,000 – a third of the average price of an apartment in the city.

Tom, who is said to have been ‘overwhelmed’ by the bills as his properties became ‘worthless’ in the wake of the Grenfell disaster, is thought to have been the first suicide victim linked to the ongoing crisis.

In a letter to housing secretary Michael Gove, an action group of leaseholders affected by the issue said there have been ‘at least’ two other people who took their lives after facing ‘financial ruin’.

Tom was found at his home last December and a subsequent inquest found he had a history of depression.

A family friend told The Sunday Mirror: ‘Tom was a smiling, cheerful and bubbly personality, who was caring and compassionate, and led life to the full.

‘But the burden of so many unexpected bills along with all the doubt and uncertainty, overwhelmed him.

Rising insurance premiums and service charges to cover the cost of waking watches have soared since the 2017 Grenfell Tower fire, which exposed safety problems in some types of building cladding.

The friend added: ‘City centre properties became undesirable, with massive service charges and uncertainty over the costs and timing of fixing fire risks.

‘He was left in limbo with huge costs and worthless properties. The burden of uncertainty eventually overwhelmed him. It was a significant factor in his death.

Tom’s father said he was ‘very proud’ of his son as a ‘caring, compassionate, warm and friendly person’.

A £1.6 billion Building Safety Fund had been announced earlier that year, but some leaseholders have reportedly struggled to secure grants and many claim they still face crippling building safety expenses other than cladding removal.

Ministers have been forced to unlock an extra £3.5 billion for the fund, yet it still does not cover insurance premiums, according to Which? magazine.

Leaseholders are currently the only parties who can be forced to pay for cladding remediation due to a loophole allowing developers to escape liability by closing subsidiaries set up to build the homes.

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