Leaseholder client wins against Shepherd Bush Housing Association after extensive leaks in her home

Whilst an extensive leak in the kitchen was affecting Ms L and her family’s enjoyment of their home, Shepherd Bush Housing Association delayed repairs again and again, until she contacted us at Pabla & Pabla for help.

As a leaseholder, getting your freeholder to address problems in your property can often be very difficult. For Ms L, she experienced just how difficult the freeholder, Shepherd Bush Housing Association, could be.

Ms L, who has lived as a joint lessee with her partner and their young child, had been complaining about damage to their roof for eight years.
There was a clear, extensive leak which had started to cause damage inside their home. The kitchen ceiling in particular had become damp, which led to crumbling plaster.

“My kitchen ceiling is on the verge of collapsing!” Ms L told us at Pabla & Pabla.

Self-employed, Ms L had started to take time off work to monitor her property, in fear that it might collapse at any moment. After years of complaints, she’d finally had enough.

When she instructed us at Pabla & Pabla, fee earner Alasdair Richards sent a letter of claim to Shepherd Bush Housing Association outlining the disrepair and the basis of their obligations under the lease.

Whilst leaseholders are not directly protected by the Landlord and Tenant Act in the same way as a traditional tenant may be, there are obligations in their lease in relation to responsibility for repairs needed in the home. In the case of Ms L, as with most leaseholders, the obligation to repair the structure of the building was not hers.

After a surveyor inspected the property, it was discovered that there were serious external damages to the roof which would cost more than £7,000 to remedy.

Alasdair Richards, worked extensively with Ms L to obtain a settlement from Shepherd Bush Housing Association and a commitment that they would do the repairs needed. Ms L was assured that all necessary works would be done, including damages to the plaster inside of her property caused by the roof disrepair.

Ms L also recovered £9,000.00 in financial compensation from the building owner, to represent the loss of enjoyment she and her family felt at her property whilst it was in disrepair.

Leaseholders can often be ignored by solicitors when it comes to housing disrepair claims. In contrast, at Pabla & Pabla we understand that the freeholder, in this case Shepherd Bush Housing Association, has an obligation to keep many aspects of the property in repair. That’s why we support leaseholders who are experiencing damage in their property which they believe to be under the freeholder’s obligation to repair.