Frustrated flat owners have been left living in fear and unable to sell their homes for half a decade after “unacceptable” delays to replace roof cladding after the Grenfell disaster.

Now, after years of inaction and the introduction of 24/7 fire safety wardens at the Kingfisher Meadow block in Maidstone town centre, there are calls for immediate mediation works at the development, with residents worried their homes could catch fire at any moment.

In 2017, 72 people were killed, including 18 children, and more were injured after the London tower block went up in flames due to its highly flammable cladding.

As a result, certain flats required an External Wall System Fire Review certificate (EWS1) form, which is used by mortgage lenders to assess the fire safety of residential buildings.

In 2021, surveys were completed at Kingfisher Meadows, and a poor rating was issued, meaning essential works needed to be carried out.

However, since then, nothing has been done due to a dispute between Taylor Wimpey and Wallace Estates over how the works are paid for.

In March 2023, people living in the apartments, which were built in 2009, next to Lockmeadow leisure complex, were told that developer Taylor Wimpey had “committed to funding life-critical fire safety improvement works”.

A letter explained: “The above-named properties [Kingfisher Meadows] are within the scope of the government’s fire safety Pledge for Developers, and we will therefore be providing funding for remedial works to be carried out, at no cost to leaseholders.”

However, two-and-a-half years later, there is still no sign of any work being completed due to an ongoing dispute between Taylor Wimpey and the freeholder of the properties, Wallace Estates.

As a result of the delays and in an attempt to improve residents' safety, a “waking watch” has been implemented, meaning at least four trained fire wardens will be on site 24 hours a day.

Their responsibilities include patrolling the building day and night to spot any signs of fire early, raising the alarm and alerting residents if there’s a fire, and helping everyone evacuate the building quickly and calmly. They started work in September, but it is still not clear who will end up paying for them, and how much the service will cost.

Mum-of-two Jemma Capone said: "Our home should be our safe space. It's where we should feel completely comfortable and at ease, away from the stress of everyday life.

"But we’ve had a constant state of anxiety. It's a worry for our health, and if anything were to happen, how do we get out of the building as I live on the top floor?

"How do I get my children to safety in that scenario when we've been told the building should be condemned? Is it that unsafe?

"We're powerless to do anything about it. We have no control over when the work starts, how it's done, or how much it costs. We're relying on these very large corporations to do the right thing. And they're not doing the right thing by us as leaseholders and residents.”

Ms Capone says she and others have been left with financial and mental health stress.

“The ongoing anxiety around that then makes me feel unsafe in my own home,” she added.

Fellow resident Gianni Touah said: "It's been an ongoing issue for the last six/seven years. We don't really know what's going on. We've been left in the dark.

"I think, personally, our life depends on their decision. They keep changing their stance all the time; they were supposed to be starting work a year ago, and then it keeps changing, and the developer and freeholder keep disagreeing.

“There are a lot of families here, 196 homes, some with kids and some without, but at the end of the day it's all about safety.

“We want to make sure we're safe, and we want the remediation work to start as soon as possible without any delays.

“And I'll say it again, our life is in their hands, and if something happens to us they should be held accountable."

Mother-of-one Joanna Dolman has spent six years trying to sell her property and has had five potential buyers withdraw their offer after finding out the building wasn’t fire safe.

The 46-year-old explained: “All of these things happen at exchange when you're packed up, ready to go, and you lose thousands of pounds in fees.

“I wanted to move out of the area before my son started school. I was pregnant when I first tried to sell, and I was told I wouldn't without an EWS1 certificate. Six years on, and we still don't have one.

“I've lost out on houses in other areas that I’ve put a deposit on. It's completely taken away his childhood of where we wanted to move.

“Living on my own with a baby for five years in an unsafe building, and the emotional toll each time I lose my sale or exchange is horrible.

“The emotional impact is massive. It's so stressful. It gives you sleepless nights. It's just constant stress and worry, and it's definitely taken a toll on my mental health. It's affected everything I've done for the past six years.

“This year, I've just given up, and I think I'm just stuck here for at least another three years in an area I don't want to live in.”

Retired Paul Elston, 66, has been at the flat block for nearly two decades.

He said: "We're running into entities, major corporations, who are just ignoring the human side of this situation, creating massive costs for us and anxiety for people.

"It's a great place to live, but we want to feel safe. We want to know that what should be done has been done."

Implementation manager Elliott Steel, 31, bought his flat with a friend before the Grenfell disaster, and the pair quickly saw their valuation plummet.

He added: "He's since had a child and moved out, so he had to sell his half of the property to me for nothing, so he's lost out in that sense.

"During the delays, I've now got a partner and want to move on with my life and buy a house, but I’ve been unable to because of these companies bickering.

"You've got however many people living here, in apparently a building which can burn down within a second.

"Your whole life is kind of on standstill, because I don't want to raise a family in a flat.

“Since Grenfell, flat prices across the country have stagnated across the country, so my efforts to move up the property ladder are disappearing in front of me."

Maidstone and Malling MP Helen Grant has slammed the two parties for being unable to resolve the issue.

She said: “This is an issue about people’s safety, but the developer, Taylor Wimpey, and the freeholder, Albanwise Wallace Estates, are mired in money disagreements which are blocking clearly identified fire safety remedial works – in the wake of the Grenfell disaster. That is totally unacceptable.

“The funding to carry out the works is already secured. The only roadblock to commencement is agreement on the costs of a monitoring surveyor to oversee the contract on behalf of Wallace. The two parties are not far apart in the scheme of things.

“I am extremely disappointed that, notwithstanding assurances from representatives from both Taylor Wimpey and Wallace, this issue has still not been resolved.”

A spokesman for Taylor Wimpey explained: “Resident safety remains our top priority, and we fully understand the frustrations caused by delays to the remedial works at Kingfisher Meadows.

“Unfortunately, unforeseen legal discussions with the freeholder have delayed the start of works.

“The remediation design, tendering, and contractor appointment processes are complete, and the discussions with the freeholder are in the final stages.

“We remain fully committed to funding remedial works for fire-safety critical elements of the development and expediting all works as soon as possible."

A spokesman for Wallace Estates firmly put the onus on Taylor Wimpey to sort the issue out.

They said: “Wallace Estates has been continuously engaged with the developer for several months now in an effort to get them to remediate all defective blocks, regardless of height, at Kingfisher Meadow.

“In addition to the six blocks that the developer has committed to remediating, we have successfully agreed the remediation of a further block and are in ongoing discussions with the developer in relation to a second.

“Under the terms of the lease, the repair and maintenance obligations rest with the residents’ management company but continues to work with, advise and assist the residents’ management company and its managing agent in their efforts to hold the developer to account.

“We are also urging the developer to cover the costs of the waking watch, which has been implemented as a result of the construction defects, and which should not fall on leaseholders to pay.”