Latest news with #housingdisrepair
The Guardian
2 days ago
- Health
- The Guardian
London council let me live in a soaking, mouldy flat for a year
I am a 91-year-old leaseholder in a block of flats owned by Wandsworth council. I'm living with saturated walls, dripping water and falling plaster because the council has failed to address a leak that began elsewhere in the block a year ago. When I first reported it, contractors made a large opening in my kitchen wall to inspect a service duct that contains plumbing for 10 flats. The hole has never been made good and is now crawling with insects. The council's plumbers have, over time, identified the possible source in various flats, stuck cards through the door asking the resident to get in touch, stuck more cards through when they got no response, and then decided the leak was coming from a different floor. I've been diagnosed with bladder cancer, and given the deteriorating condition of my home and the impact on my mental and physical health, I asked for the leak to be redesignated as an emergency, but this was refused. CA, London The photo you sent of your kitchen is horrifying. A substantial section of wall around the inspection hole made by the contractors is soaked, discoloured and crumbling. Mouldy debris is scattered along its base. These are hazardous conditions for anyone to endure, let alone a 91-year-old recovering from cancer treatment. It was January when you first contacted me. I first asked Giles Peaker, a partner at Anthony Gold Solicitors, to clarify where a council's responsibilities to leaseholders begin and end. He confirmed that Wandsworth council should be responsible for communal areas and structures, including plumbing, and for all tenanted flats, and that it should have a right of access to tenanted and leasehold flats to carry out repairs to these parts. If the leak were in a leasehold flat, the council would most likely have powers to oblige the occupier to repair it, or else revoke the lease. Repairs should be carried out within a reasonable time. Despite this, the council blamed the delay on 'access difficulties' when I questioned its inertia. It told me it had since discovered the leak in a leasehold flat but had to await an asbestos test before it could be tackled. Yet it had told you, seven weeks previously, that an asbestos test had been completed. It ignored my questions about the discrepancy but told you its earlier assertion about the test being carried out was mistaken. Three weeks after my contact, you were then told the leak was not where it was supposed to be after all, and so the waiting game continued. The council declined to explain why an exploratory camera could not be inserted into the communal duct through the opening in your kitchen, which has already been declared asbestos free. For the next three months, you and I repeatedly chased the council for updates. By May the leak had finally been identified in a tenanted flat and repaired. At this point Wandsworth offered to repair the damage to your flat and installed a dehumidifier but you, understandably suspicious of its timescales, decided to do the repairs through your insurer. You are still waiting for the area to dry out before repairs can begin. The council says: 'We have spoken to the resident to apologise for the delay and he has accepted an offer of £400 compensation for the stress and inconvenience caused. We will be reviewing our processes to ensure this does not happen again.' You say: 'I think that the council employees with whom I have dealt have tried to help under a system that simply doesn't work, having no built-in imperative to get anything done.' We welcome letters but cannot answer individually. Email us at or write to Consumer Champions, Money, the Guardian, 90 York Way, London N1 9GU. Please include a daytime phone number. Submission and publication of all letters is subject to our terms and conditions.
Yahoo
05-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Thorncliffe Park tenants anxiously await next steps as eviction proceedings wrap up
Iqbal Dar says he's dealt with no shortage of issues at his Thorncliffe Park home, everything from power outages to water damage to uneven floors. And with the summer heat in full swing, he's had to take cooling showers to manage his heart conditions. "It was really unbearable," Dar said. He's among 100 households across three apartment buildings on Thorncliffe Park Drive — 71, 75 and 79 — that have been on a rent-strike for more than two years now as a result of what they say are above-guideline rent increases imposed by their landlord, Starlight Investments and PSP Investments, as well as the disrepair of their units since the companies took over in 2019. That long-standing dispute came closer to completion last week, as hearings before the Landlord and Tenant Board (LTB) wrapped up. A decision isn't expected for several more months. At issue is the eviction proceedings against tenants who've been withholding rent. But before the evictions can proceed, the LTB must rule on whether the landlords are in breach of the Residential Tenancies Act. The lawyer for the tenants, Sima Atri, says the tenants know what they have risked by going on a rent strike, but she says the landlords have let the units fall into disrepair and they should be keeping them up according to standards. "We've reached a point where landlords are trying so many strategies to push out long-standing tenants," Atri said. A spokesperson for Starlight Investments disputed this in an email, telling CBC Toronto that it's invested more than $30 million in improvements and that the maintenance program is robust, as "demonstrated with a 99.6% maintenance resolution rate." Dar disagrees. He joined the rent strike back in May 2023. It went until November 2023, at which time tenants were ordered to pay their rent into a trust through the LTB. Finally, at the request of the LTB in March 2025 tenants began paying their rent again directly to their landlords. "We've been fighting this for [the] last two to three years," Dar said. "I'm alone and I'm a senior citizen and I have a limited amount of earnings or pension, which makes it harder if they are going to make us pay a lot more money." Some tenants like Khalil Aldroubi, who lives with his wife and five children, say they don't think it's fair to start paying again, considering the conditions they are living in. WATCH | Tenants react as outcome of mass eviction application looms: "The cabinets in the kitchen — none of them, even upper or lower, open or close properly," he said. He says maintenance that is done is done at "a low level." Aldroubi says his fridge is also leaking brown fluid, but he fears telling maintenance about it because he might be given a worse fridge as a result. Now that residents have been ordered to pay the landlord again, Atri says it shows that they are trying to comply with the rules despite the landlord not complying with their obligations. That's why last week's hearings were so important, she says. "It's the first time a landlord like Starlight and PSP investments has been put to a test of what the standards are for large scale landlords," she said. "At this point they're using tactics and strategies that allow long-standing tenants' units to fall into disrepair while completely renovating [other] units to bring in higher paying tenants." In a statement, Starlight Investments' senior vice-president, Penny Colomvakos, told CBC Toronto that the buildings have gotten safer and liveability has improved since the company took over. She says the above-guideline increases were approved by the Landlord and Tenant Board. "Concerns about potential neglect or displacement are contradicted by both our ongoing investment in the community and our continued efforts to expand rent relief and support our residents," Colomvakos said. As for Dar, he says he fears where he goes from here. "I don't know what's going to happen today, tomorrow, or day after," he said. "I hope that things will work out and we don't have to leave the place where I've been living … for 11 years."
CBC
27-06-2025
- Business
- CBC
Thorncliffe Park tenants anxiously await next steps as eviction proceedings wrap up
Social Sharing Iqbal Dar says he's dealt with no shortage of issues at his Thorncliffe Park home, everything from power outages to water damage to uneven floors. And with the summer heat in full swing, he's had to take cooling showers to manage his heart conditions. "It was really unbearable," Dar said. He's among 100 households across three apartment buildings on Thorncliffe Park Drive — 71, 75 and 79 — that have been on a rent-strike for more than two years now as a result of what they say are above-guideline rent increases imposed by their landlord, Starlight Investments and PSP Investments, as well as the disrepair of their units since the companies took over in 2019. That long-standing dispute came closer to completion last week, as hearings before the Landlord and Tenant Board wrapped up. A decision isn't expected for several more months. At issue is the eviction proceedings against tenants who've been withholding rent. But before the evictions can proceed, the LTB must rule on whether the landlords are in breach of the Residential Tenancies Act. The lawyer for the tenants, Sima Atri, says the tenants know what they have risked by going on a rent strike, but she says the landlords have let the units fall into disrepair and they should be keeping them up according to standards. " We've reached a point where landlords are trying so many strategies to push out long-standing tenants," Atri said. A spokesperson for Starlight Investments disputed this in an email, telling CBC Toronto that it's invested more than $30 million in improvements and that the maintenance program is robust, as "demonstrated with a 99.6% maintenance resolution rate." Dar disagrees. He joined the rent strike back in May 2023. It went until November 2023, at which time tenants were ordered to pay their rent into a trust through the LTB. Finally, at the request of the LTB in March 2025 tenants began paying their rent again directly to their landlords. "We've been fighting this for [the] last two to three years," Dar said. "I'm alone and I'm a senior citizen and I have a limited amount of earnings or pension, which makes it harder if they are going to make us pay a lot more money." Some tenants like Khalil Aldroubi, who lives with his wife and five children, say they don't think it's fair to start paying again, considering the conditions they are living in. "The cabinets in the kitchen — none of them, even upper or lower, open or close properly," he said. He says maintenance that is done is done at "a low level." Aldroubi says his fridge is also leaking brown fluid, but he fears telling maintenance about it because he might be given a worse fridge as a result. Building has gotten safer, more liveable since takeover, landlord says Now that residents have been ordered to pay the landlord again, Atri says it shows that they are trying to comply with the rules despite the landlord not complying with their obligations. That's why last week's hearings were so important, she says. "It's the first time a landlord like Starlight and PSP investments has been put to a test of what the standards are for large scale landlords," she said. "At this point they're using tactics and strategies that allow long-standing tenants' units to fall into disrepair while completely renovating [other] units to bring in higher paying tenants." In a statement, Starlight Investments' senior vice-president, Penny Colomvakos, told CBC Toronto that the buildings have gotten safer and liveability has improved since the company took over. She says the above-guideline increases were approved by the Landlord and Tenant Board. "Concerns about potential neglect or displacement are contradicted by both our ongoing investment in the community and our continued efforts to expand rent relief and support our residents," Colomvakos said. As for Dar, he says he fears where he goes from here.
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Retired bus driver enlists of lawyers to solve mould issues in his home
A retired bus driver from Bolton has told how he sought legal help following a serious damp and mould issue that he feared would impact his wife's health. Douglas Lee, 67, who has osteoarthritis and psoriasis, lives with his wife Rosina, 77, in a one-bedroom flat managed by Bolton At Home. Douglas and Rosina Lee. (Image: Liberay Legal) The couple say they first noticed damp and mould issues in 2022, several years after moving in, with patches forming on the walls in their hallway and bathroom. They said made repeated complaints. The couple first noticed the damp issues in 2022. (Image: Liberay Legal) Douglas said: 'I had more people come into the flat to take photos than I care to think of, and off they would trot, never to be heard from again. Douglas claims that he was complaining for around a year before seeking legal action. (Image: Liberay Legal) 'My wife has COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), which causes breathing problems." He was worried she would get the spores from the mould on her chest. After almost a year of living in the property and fearing for Rosina's health, Douglas contacted Liberay Legal, a specialist housing disrepair law firm. The firm arranged for a surveyor to assess the house. Numerous issues were found at the property following an investigation. (Image: Liberay Legal) The couple say the investigation revealed a long-standing leak behind the shower. The surveyor also used a drone to capture evidence of blocked guttering. Following Liberay Legal's intervention, Bolton At Home finally completed the necessary remedial jobs" target="_blank">work, stripping and replastering affected walls, regrouting bathroom tiles and installing new skirting boards. The works were completed by Bolton At Home in December, two months after the company officially agreed to carry out the works. The final works were completed in December. (Image: Liberay Legal) Douglas also received compensation, which helped him clear rent arrears, and the housing association recently contacted him to install a wet room in the bathroom. 'Liberay kept fighting for us and made sure the work got done,' Douglas said. 'Without them, I'd probably still be waiting. Now, my wife and I can live in a home that's actually fit for us.' Joann Cameron, Litigation Executive from Liberay Legal, said: 'Sadly, Douglas and Rosina's experience is not unique. 'One in ten social rented homes in the UK are classed as 'non-decent,' leaving tenants struggling with conditions that can seriously harm their health. 'Too often, housing associations dismiss complaints or delay action, leaving residents to suffer for years.'
