Residents in a block of flats in a poor state of repair have been promised a meeting so that council bosses can see the state of the building.
Brighton and Hove City Council leader Bella Sankey told a resident of the block, in Grand Parade, that the council was keen to meet them to understand fully what work was needed.
The building, at 71-73 Grand Parade, Brighton, is being returned to the council’s control after the expiry of a “full repairing lease”.
It has been run by two housing associations – Optivo and then Southern Housing Group (SHG).
One resident, who asked not to be identified, told the council’s Strategy, Finance and City Regeneration Committee that they had reported the “uninhabitable” living conditions for many years.
Councillor Sankey told the meeting – at Hove Town Hall last Thursday (5 October) – that the council was concerned about the poor state of the property.
Under the terms of the “full repairing lease”, Southern Housing Group was responsible for the costs “related to dilapidations” when the lease term ended.
The building was due to be returned to the council when the lease ended last December. This was delayed because of the property’s “poor state of repair”.
Councillor Sankey said that the previous Green administration did not hold the housing associations to account.
She said: “To our administration’s mind, it is absolutely vital that we do more than our minimum legal obligation when it comes to our residents.
“We need to ensure that residents are empowered to challenge housing associations that are badly failing our residents.
“It’s happening all over our city. Our administration will make sure that residents are empowered to get the repairs they need.”
A report to the committee said that there were concerns about bay windows and balconies at the front of the building which have resulted in a “crash deck scaffold” being installed.
The roof, fire safety and the general condition of the property was described as “poor”.
Southern Housing Group has carried out some fire safety and kitchen improvement works since the council raised its concerns.
But the report said that there was still a severe roof leak which resulted in a resident having to move out of their flat.
Southern Housing Group has told the council that it cannot do the work itself.
As neither the housing association nor the council can agree on the cost of the “dilapidation” claims, councillors agreed to give housing boss Rachel Sharpe the power to negotiate.
Green councillor Sue Shanks asked what the council had been doing to prevent the building from getting into such a poor state when the leaseholder should have been maintaining it.
Councillor Shanks said: “There are residents there who have been complaining for a long time and the leaseholders were not looking after those properties.
“It seems we are being left with the bill. We should be asking for full cost recovery but we might not quite get that. That would be really bad.”
Ms Sharpe said that, because the residents were not council tenants, the council had a limited ability to become involved in individual cases.
Labour councillor Gill Williams, who chairs the council’s Housing and New Homes Committee, said: “I do believe the previous (Green) administration was aware of this and the concern that the residents have raised for a long time.
“I must express some deep disappointment in Southern Housing and I would expect better of them. Our sympathy fully lies with the residents that we will do our best to look after in the future.”
The building contains 19 flats, 16 of which are occupied. Once Southern Housing returns the building to the council, in January, the residents are expected to become secure council tenants.
Good, removing poor housing associations and returning them to social housing stock is a positive move.
Southern housing are a disgrace there doing same in peachaven not repairing flats
I am a shgroup tenant and they are terrible. I was without hot water for 3 months and shgroup said it was not an emergency. I regret ever leaving the council
That’s horrible to hear. Did you get your entitled compensation for not having hot water for that length of time?
They all need a new heat pump fitted
This story does not surprise me one little bit. I am secretary of Hollingdean Residents Association and get lots of complaints from housing Association tenants and passed complaints onto council and health and safety.
It seems that the green administration did nothing to ensure maintenance of buildings within the city good on Rachel Sharp for acknowledging the situation. Now do something citywide Residents have the right to live in well maintained buildings.
Some Housing Association buildings remind me of Victorian slums . In the 21st century people should not be forced to live in such conditions Ian Beck
So this is a council-owned building. The residents have been complaining for years about issues but the landlord (the council) didn’t fix the issues. Yes, there was an organisation that was handling the renting/maintenance, but the landlord stays responsible. In the private sector this is like a landlord/agency with a repair agreement for a number of years.
Firstly if there were issues affecting tenants then the council should have taken action (against itself!) to help those tenants and secondly, if the building is not returned in a good state, then claims made for repairs (as would happen in a standard rental). Of course, this needs good detail on the condition of the property when the social housing company took over and details now.
Whatever way you look at it, the council looks disorganised at best, and incompetent at worst. These errors have been hurting the tenants for years and quite possibly all of us if we have to foot the bill…..
Nick, incorrect.
which part is incorrect?! The ownership of the building is council – or is the article incorrect? Or am I correct on my first statement?
The residents’ complaints for years have been sourced by multiple people – or again, is the reporting wrong?
A full repairing lease requires repairs to be made – or is this incorrect?
Is the council managing this well? Pretty clearly not or the repairs would have been made and the organisation responsible for paying for them identified.
So I’m at a loss to work out what is incorrect?!
The building was leased to the housing group who effectively are the landlords and responsible for the maintenance under the agreement they had.
The building will need to be returned in a fit state and any costs of repairs are the responsibility of the groups concerned.
Housing associations are not fit for purpose never have been they get a lease to any building and promise to keep it in good repair and liveable conditions yet they never actually do so mediocre cover up works to cover major issues and leave buildings inhabitable have been doing this for yrs in Edinburgh where I come from so it’s time governments take back the stock they lease to these so called idiots and made decent habitable properties for people who need decent standards of living
SH do not maintain any social housing stock to a decent standard, they gave the contract to United Living, who still have this despite repeated failures. Service charges are going through the roof for both tenants and leaseholders but they can’t provide accounts and invoices. The flats in Montpelier Rd have just been patched up very badly with scaffolding up for over 8 months as well as the same the year before, why not just replace the roof as it will be the same next year. Resident suffer but United Living make massive profit.
I am having hell over leaking roof ongoing periodically for 21 years but since United living came on the scene it has been worse than ever.
SHG do nothing but praise them and United living who now refuse to ever come to property which suits me fine but SHG refuse to send anyone else to fix roof.
Do you have any ideas who I can contact thank you
I am with Clarion housing.
Worst housing association ever.
I have given up now feel like walking out so distressed & frustrating.
Endless phonecalls,endless visits.
How long before some else dies.
Had no hot water for 60 days.
Had I not reported this it would have exploded
Eventually they decided I needed a new boiler.
The list is endless even contacted a solicitor & this housing association is in no hurry to fix anything & they really do not care.
We need help getting charged for services that do not even exsist.
H
Please post what you have been going through on all social media! Get Daniel Harris on the case. So sorry you have had this to deal with.
Southern Housing left me from Feb 2023 – Sept 2023 with a front door that anyone could just walk in! As a wheelchair user, I have an electronic door opener so that I can open the door with a key fob. However, the handle on the outside of the front door meant that people could just use the handle to walk right in! To make matters worse, I was burgled a few years ago & woke to find a man crawling around my bedroom floor. . . . Because of this I am extremely nervous being in this flat alone, as well as being disabled. Southern Housing have brought me to tears due to disappearing job reports & they only send people out after I use social media to shame them and then go to my MP
Shg Tennant nothing charitable or caring about them refuse to ever do work you need done.
But happy to waste extortionate money on digital aireal, locked notice board and cupboards for their use only and double for all communal elec, intercom and fire alarm system have refused to ever show me the bills and invoices.
Every job is a sticky plaster.
Response if don’t like it get out!
I can’t afford to hence put up with leaking roof for 21 years.
Does anyone have any advice please
Shg Tennant nothing charitable or caring about them refuse to ever do work you need done.
But happy to waste extortionate money on digital aireal, locked notice board and cupboards for their use only and double for all communal elec, intercom and fire alarm system have refused to ever show me the bills and invoices.
Every job is a sticky plaster.
Response if don’t like it get out!
Who can you raise your upset with?
Does anyone have any advice please