Leaseholders facing big bills for remediation include many who themselves work in construction, but even those in the know have become powerless victims.
Ian Weinfass investigates
Peter Vince had expected the consultancy he founded in 2011 would be growing strongly by now. Like everyone, he had not factored in a global pandemic, but the virus is not the only reason for a cashflow setback he thinks might take four years to clear.
In March 2020, his modest company was hit with a £140,000 bill to fix the building where one of his offices is based, a financial blow that could prove worse than the revenue impact of COVID-19.