8 month old baby’s at serious risk by housing association

[Sammytoby]

I really need some advice on what to do next because this situation has become completely unacceptable.

We’ve had a serious leak from the flat above for days, causing water to pour through our ceilings and flood the lights/electrics in our property. I have been reporting it constantly, but the same plumber kept being sent out despite repeatedly saying it was outside his skill set and reporting this back to the housing association.

On Friday, a senior subcontractor plumber attended and said there was a significant risk of the ceiling collapsing since I first reported on Tuesday and tried to get us emergency rehousing. Nobody called us back.

i live with my partner and 8 month old baby. Hearing that my ceiling has had significant risk of collapsing for days whilst I was begging for help made me feel sick.

By the time this was established, it was out of hours and we were told there was nothing that could be done. I was actually told earlier on Friday after again constantly calling trying to tell them how serious it was and being told I would receive a call back that never came, that there was “absolutely no chance” either family would be rehoused, before the senior plumber had assessed the situation.

they all went home after saying someone would stay on to speak to the senior plumber after his investigation.

We have two 8-month-old babies involved. The family upstairs have now been left without water for the entire weekend because everyone else has gone home, no way to make bottles, shower or even flush their toilet. When pressed for a plan for the weekend we were told upstairs would have their water turned off and they would be given bottled water — which they weren't even provided with. I went out myself and bought them water.

If I didn't have family to fall back on, I would currently have been sat in a flat with my baby all weekend with no electricity, because water was coming through the ceiling and into our lights.
I have photos, videos and evidence of everything, and I have been reporting this repeatedly for days.

They have left this for so long without properly investigating the source that it is now far beyond an isolated repair (started just in our kitchen). Water has come through our ceilings and lights/electrics, and the damage has now spread across every ceiling and the walls. It is a significant amount of damage which will obviously require much more than simply fixing the original leak.

I was told by the subcontractor the property is now going to be uninhabitable for a significant period of time because of the extent of the damage. My concern is that the housing association will simply say it can all be sorted quickly when the reality is that the damage is now extensive and needs properly assessing.
I have photos, videos and records of everything and have been reporting this constantly.

The other plumber who was consistently sent out has tried for 4 days to feedback that it is extremely unsafe but they did not escalate it.

What would you do next? Who should I escalate this to, and what can I actually do if the housing association refuses to acknowledge that the property is no longer reasonably habitable?

Do not tell them you are living with your family - will drop your priority

I don’t think cc’ing in the councillor and mp will be effective. You need to write, short specific emails to each asking for their help.

Hopefully specific emails to complains will force some action from them.

Sorry OP it’s a shit situation. Hope there’s a resolution today x

Go on your housing association website and look up how to make a complaint. Make a complaint following that process. It should get things moving as it goes to a complaints department, which is separate to the repairs people.

If that doesn't work, you can escalate it to the ombudsman: www.housing-ombudsman.org.uk/

I currently have holes in my property's outside brick wall where you can see the insulation through the hole - due to poor workmanship by a HA-contractor. One week in and still no further along in resolving it, so will be making a complaint soon, if they don't do something by Friday. Solidarity!

Blimey that sounds like one hell of a leak! What caused it in the first place and why did the water not get turned off as soon as it was noticed?

They still haven’t found the actual pipe that’s leaking, it started by me coming home to water dripping from my kitchen light and a tiny wet patch, to now my hallway lights and spreading to the bedroom and fully damp ceilings in every single room. The layout is basically my ceiling in there my pipes, another ceiling type thing then upstairs pipes and it was upstairs pipes that were leaking so has collapsed the inner ceiling and now coming through to mine with active dripping stopping when upstairs water is off. Wasn’t turned off in the first place as they couldn’t leave them with no water, which they should have rehomed them on Tuesday to keep the damage isolated and to prevent the massive damage and risks it has now caused!

I hope it’s sorted quickly op.

This is why I am not keen on housing associations. No accountability and slow to act. Although some private landlords are crap I have done work for hundreds and 99% take it very seriously. They often used to live in the house or remember being in rented themselves. They realise it’s a home and more important that they are fully accountable. Far too many charge under market rent.

This push towards housing associations and large landlords will benefit someone but I am not sure its tenants.

The least the HA can do is put you and the neighbours up in a Travelodge or similar so you are safe and have access to water.

Contact Shelter or your local Law Centre. You may well be able to get legal aid in your own and/or your children's names, and I suspect the threat of legal action will wake a few people up.

This is awful I’m so sorry to read this - I hope it’s resolved soon for you.
you could email the housing association and say you’ve had to relocate and thankfully family can help but otherwise they’d be liable to pay for a hotel but please can THEY organise some storage for your things OTHERWISE they will end up paying to replace your damaged items which will be a cost to them.
it’s awful that they haven’t done anything tho but I think raise the profile, local press, tv - get them named and shamed!

So an update, they sent out health manager and director of something to come to the flat today, finally decided they need to rehouse us or for us to continue at my mums and be paid a disruption payment, they’ve also finally found the leak, a screw through my upstairs neighbours water pipe, which has been there since they built it! 12+ years as that’s how long my neighbour has been there. Must have been water building up for a very very long time, I have no idea what they will do with us when they realise the amount of work that will need to go into making it safe again.

This.

The housing disrepair people in Environmental Health at my district council are amazing. They get really fierce with landlords who don't take their responsibilities seriously, even if the landlord is the council they work for!

Were they able to give you any idea of how long it will take to dry out, fix, repair ceilings etc? Are they talking about permanently rehousing you (because repairs will take a long time) or just temporary while they fix it?

Absolutely dreadful that it takes you going to social media and involving external people, this should have been sorted when you first raised it as an issue.

No time frame as of yet although my neighbour has told me the plumber said atleast a few weeks! Temp accommodation for now and then once they have a better idea of how long full repair will be if it’s going to be a while they will permanently rehouse me. It took them an hour to fix the leak, which if it was done when I first raised it we wouldn’t be in this position!

Your situation is so familiar to me. My ceiling did collapse. We were just extremely lucky no one was in the room at the time. The only way I got them to do anything was to threaten to go to a hotel and bill them. Glad at least that part is sorted for you now.

Like with you, had they fixed the small leak (which I was reporting every day), none of it would have happened. The money they waste letting jobs get to the worst state before they do them, makes me so angry. They really do not give a shit.

We didn't get any other accommodation. Probably as there's no small children here and the ceiling had already collapsed! Though tbh, I would rather just stay at home so I wasn't going to argue it. Ceiling collapsing happened at the beginning of the year. They fixed the leak and cleaned up the debris within a few days. With me ringing them constantly of course! But the ceiling didn't actually get fixed till last week. Now they're saying I'm the one that needs to paint it (even though I did that a year ago) because tenants are in charge of decoration! Yes sure, normally they are, but this wasn't my fault!

Not sure why you think it will take such a long time to fix. DM ceiling did collapse from water damage. Redoing the ceiling, redecoration, electrics etc took a couple of weeks. Once the damage has dried out it can be repaired. She continued to live there once the ceiling was stripped and made safe(not HA though) and while work was carried out.

Unfortunately because it has been left ridiculously long it’s affected 5 rooms and a hallway badly, aswell as a whole other layer above our ceiling that will need fully replacing, not forgetting they also have to go into our walls as it’s spread that much water can be heard dripping inside them. Also with HA (and as you can tell from this post) they take a long time to take any action. I’ve also had it confirmed it’s not safe to live there as work is taking place due to exposure for my baby.

That’s so scary they really are awful! Since the ceiling hasn’t collapsed but every ceiling was damp there was the risk of collapsing which is why we can’t stay there, I’m so upset we’d moved in not long ago and just got it how we want it. That’s outrageous they’re making you paint it!