Renovation nightmare

Published: 19 November, 2010

• HOMES for Islington (HfI) is renovating kitchens and bathrooms on the Wedmore estate, where I live. As a leaseholder, I thought I would escape the shoddy workmanship one has been reading about of late. But sadly, I have not been blessed. 

In installing (too kind a word) an upstairs neighbour’s bathroom, the workmen have caused damage to the building by not installing the toilet properly. They created a leak which caused damage to my ceiling and to the paintwork on my walls in my bathroom and kitchen. 

The leak has also damaged the paintwork on the ceiling and the shelving in my hallway cupboard (the toilet pipe from upstairs continues into my hallway cupboard). This damage was happening while I was away for six weeks in the summer. 

Furthermore, in installing a kitchen or bathroom appliance in another flat next door to mine, they have drilled a hole through to the communal corridor, damaging the brickwork so that you can actually see the wall plug from the communal side. 

I find it outrageous that HfI is employing people who cannot do a job properly (are they qualified?). When I contacted the liaison officer suggesting this damage to the communal corridor wall was possibly caused by one of its workmen, she just brushed me off, and I have never heard from her again despite leaving messages on the site manager’s voicemail. 

It appears that the renovations in the tenants’ flats are now going to cost me money as I have to pay for the damage in my flat to be repaired. This comes soon after I paid to have my flat renovated. 

I didn’t even get an apology from the liaison officer or site manager, despite a further written complaint to someone higher up. The hole in the wall has been there since June and it is now November. What a nightmare!

NAME AND ADDRESS SUPPLIED, N19