Whilst Mr J lived in his Somerset home with his two children, a plethora of disrepair issues prevented his enjoyment of the property. After his landlord, Stonewater Housing Association, repeatedly tried to claim the repairs were not their responsibility, Mr J instructed us at Pabla & Pabla to assist him.
If mould got into a child’s bedroom, especially following the well documented death of Awaab Isak, it might be expected that the landlord would do something about it.
This was not the approach of Stonewater Housing Association, who repeatedly delayed any repair work. Even after providing their own surveyor’s report which detailed extensive mould issues, they still left Mr J and his children living in disrepair.
After reporting the issues to Stonewater Housing Association and suffering with the disrepair for a prolonged time, the damp and mould in Mr J’s home had spread to both the ceiling and the door frames. Although in the past landlords were not responsible for this, since the Social Housing Regulation Act 2023, new emphasis has been placed on landlords to address damp and mould issues.
In his Somerset home, Mr J faced other disrepair issues too. The flooring in the kitchen had a hole in it from a previous ill-fitted job, the loft hatch was coming off the ceiling, and a radiator in the children’s room had come completely off the wall.
In the bathroom, the extraction fan wasn’t fit for purpose despite there being no windows for ventilation. Out in the garden, Mr J had long complained about issues with drainage which had his grass grow in clumps, surrounded by flooded mounds of soil.
When Mr J instructed us at Pabla & Pabla, he was understandably frustrated with all the ongoing issues.
Stonewater Housing Association continued to delay, not sending the surveyors report long past when the protocol said they should have. They wouldn’t take full accountability for the plethora of issues in Mr J’s home.
Fee earner, Corey Campbell, made sure that he supported his client every step of the way. After corresponding with Stonewater Housing Association, he managed to get three successive offers of compensation coupled with commitment to complete the repairs deemed necessary by an independent surveyor in a very short space of time.
In the end, Mr J was assured that the necessary indoor works would be completed in a reasonable time period, and he received a fair award in compensation. Whilst his landlord refused to commit to the works to his garden, we were able to obtain subsequent increases to the compensation figure which enabled Mr J to carry out the garden works himself.
Often, councils and housing associations can delay repairs for their tenants. Although it could be argued this is because of many different factors, including, ageing housing stock, new legislation, etc., it is important to remember that tenants are legally entitled to repairs being completed within a reasonable timeframe.
At Pabla & Pabla we value the repairs done in clients like Mr J’s home as an absolute priority.
