Brent Council breached their contract to make repairs, even after leaving their client in a home with leeches, gutter flies, electrical hazards, and extensive damp and mould.

Gabriella, a tenant in London with Brent Council had leeches and gutter flies in her home. Even though Brent Council accepted liability, agreed £5660 worth of initial compensation, and set out their schedule for repairs, they still breached this agreement leading to further compensation for Gabriella.

*to preserve anonymity the names of clients have been changed

Leeches and gutter flies demand one’s attention. Their presence in someone’s home would surely be something a landlord would act upon immediately. In Gabriella’s home in London, a broken soil stack underneath the hallway had caused the infestation, and still Brent Council dragged their feet.

For nearly a year, Gabriella had complained not only about the infestation, but about other problems as well. She had reported extended mould growth in the downstairs storage room, toilet, and the upstairs hallway.

There was also an active leak coming through the ceiling of the downstairs toilet room. Water gathering around the electrical fittings was a serious hazard in Gabriella’s day to day life!

Not only this, but the bannisters in the hallway that had been installed were defective, causing Gabriella to feel unsafe in her own home.

When we got involved at Pabla + Pabla, Brent Council quickly realised their liability for the disrepair. Fee earner, Louis Jackson, worked swiftly to agree compensation and a schedule of works for Gabriella’s home.

She was granted £5660, with the works set to be completed in 120 days.

However, Brent Council did not complete all the scheduled works within this time frame and thus were liable to pay out more compensation.

At this stage, some law firms would decide to leave a client on their own. Alternatively, we at Pabla + Pabla will continue to work with clients until all the agreed works by a landlord have been completed.

Although Gabriella was rewarded a further £850 by Brent Council because of the breach in their contract, the main aspect of our work in the Housing Disrepair Department is to fix the disrepair.

Like our work with Gabriella, we will always make sure that we get all the repairs completed.