News

Hole in tenant’s roof unfixed for 20 months

Report by Marcia Veiga A Waltham Forest Council tenant has been waiting for a “growing” hole in her roof to be fixed for nearly two years. The resident of […]By Marcia Veiga

The hole in a council tenant’s kitchen roof that has been unfixed for a year-and-a-half
The hole in a council tenant’s kitchen roof that has been unfixed for a year-and-a-half

A Waltham Forest Council tenant has been waiting for a “growing” hole in her roof to be fixed for nearly two years.

The resident of Titley Close in Chingford first contacted the council about the problem in March 2019, when the hole in her kitchen roof was no bigger than a fifty pence coin. The hole since grew to 8cm long and 5cm wide with crumbled plaster around the edge that frequently leaks.

Paula (not her real name) told the Echo: “Last year, when I drew their [the council’s] attention to the matter I had a repairman come, take a picture and tell me the council will shortly be in touch. This happened three times before I grew frustrated and gave up trying.”

Paula lives on the top floor of a three-storey building. Morgan Sindall Property Services work in partnership with the council to manage repairs and maintenance but, according to Paula, the company’s handling of the problem has been inefficient and ineffective.

“Back in February, when I contacted the council, they redirected me to Morgan Sindall, who then booked me an appointment with a local surveyor.

“He visited and told me to hang tight as he updated the council and ordered parts to fix it, but as soon as the pandemic hit there was no word from any party, despite constantly chasing.”

In response to the complaints raised by Paula a council spokesperson said: “We would not comment in detail on individual cases. However, we can confirm that when our contractor visited the property earlier this year there were no leak issues.

“We are arranging a new appointment with the tenant.”

Paula said she welcomed the belated action, but added: “It sounds promising, but with another lockdown I’m afraid of what could happen if keeps being overlooked.”


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