A spokesman for End Our Cladding Scandal, a campaign group for affected leaseholders, said: “There remains insufficient independent evidence that buildings under 18m are inherently safe… the Government must stop hiding from the true scale of this crisis.”

The Government’s July announcement was a U-turn from its previous position. Back in January 2019, the Government said the assessments, which were designed to prevent a repeat of the tragedy of the 2017 Grenfell fire, were necessary for all flats. This threw the market into turmoil as hundreds of thousands of flat owners found their properties were deemed worthless in the eyes of lenders.

A Government spokesman said: “We’re disappointed by this decision as it lacks ambition to solve the problems that countless people, families and households are experiencing.

“We expect Rics to work harder with lenders to protect leaseholders in flats that are safe from unnecessary anxiety and mortgage delays, which their EWS1 process is causing.

“Our view is supported by independent specialists, who say excessive industry caution is leaving many leaseholders in lower risk buildings unable to sell, or facing bills for work which is often unnecessary.”