The Welsh Government have confirmed leaseholders living in their own flats will not face any costs to fix cladding.
Leaseholders living in any building above 11m will not have to pay for services anymore and developers will now be held liable for the payments instead.
This replaces previous proposals where residents were given no choice but to take out loans to pay for the removal. Developers and cladding companies will have two months to agree a plan of action to fund the costs.
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Michael Gove announced similar measures on behalf of the UK Government earlier this week.
A Welsh Government spokesman said: “We strongly believe that people living in affected buildings should not be left to pay to put right safety standards nor breaches of building regulations.
“We are adopting an holistic approach to building safety which goes beyond cladding to include compartmentation, fire alert, evacuation and suppression systems in buildings of 11m and above.
“We welcome the UK Government announcements this week, some of which will support our work here. We will continue to engage with developers and press them to take responsibility and action. We commend those developers which have already set aside funds for remediation in Wales – they have set an example for others to follow.
“The minister’s statement in December set out the significant progress being made on the building safety agenda, including a commitment of £375m in the draft budget over the next three years.”
Peter Larwood is the former chair of the residents association at Victoria Wharf, an apartment complex of 478 homes in Cardiff Bay.
He, like many other residents, have lost thousands of pounds due to repairs to fix poor internal firebreaks and unstable cladding.
Peter said: "Hearing that the Welsh Government are now holding those responsible accountable is really good news. If they are piggybacking on what the UK Government are doing then the future is good.
"We have all had money taken from us to fund fire alarms, although they haven't yet been installed, so if that funding is available now then the money we paid should be refunded to us.
"It's brilliant to hear after such a battle – let's see how it all unfolds as we go down this road."
However the new plan only protects leaseholders who have been living in the flat which raises the question over whether people renting out their homes are included.
Peter said Victoria Wharf consists of 40% owner-occupied flats. The remaining 60% are private landlords who rent out the property to tenants.
Peter said: "A lot of people bought these places as investments including a friend of mine. While they may feel aggrieved if they aren't included they have derived a very nice income from it.
"My friend has a Bentley, Range Rover, and other developments across the UK, as do most other landlords. While those living here and paying costs have been suffering the private landlords have made money in the meantime and have a nice standard of living.
"There's a responsibility as a landlord, to your tenants, to pay. There are some really nice people who live here and haven't got lots of money. This is their saving grace.
"I feel sorry for the private landlords who have bought them but it's an investment for them. The government shouldn't have to pay for their investment when the landlords will be ones making the money.
"For people who are genuinely living here we need this help.
"I'm happy the government are moving things and have basically realised they got a responsibility and need to get on with it."
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