Wednesday 30th July
Our community at Oval Road Estate is currently facing a significant and distressing dispute with Riverside/One Housing due to an extraordinary 214.50% increase in our weekly service charges, more than triple the previous amount, from £36 to £116, effective from April 7, 2025. This drastic increase has pushed many vulnerable tenants' housing costs above the Universal Credit Benefit Cap, causing immediate financial hardship.
The core of the dispute involves Riverside's failure to provide a detailed breakdown of these increased costs as legally required under Section 22 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, despite formal requests. While Riverside eventually acknowledged their initial "misunderstanding" and promised the Section 22 information, it has been significantly delayed beyond the statutory 21-day period and is still outstanding. Concerns also persist that affordable housing tenants may be incorrectly charged for services primarily enjoyed by private flats in The Henson Building, such as concierge services, and that an "administrative error" contributed to the increase.
Beyond the service charge, residents have been repeatedly reporting long-standing maintenance and systemic issues across the estate. These include erratic lighting, broken security gates, persistent parking nuisances in the car-free development, rubbish management problems, and a complete lack of communication regarding planned external works. The planned external works include the replacement of flammable cladding on the building, which is an extremely important safety concern for residents.
Critical complaints about fundamental digital communication failures and serious safeguarding concerns regarding a vulnerable resident have also been unacceptably refused as grounds for complaint by Riverside. Despite escalating these issues through formal complaints, progress has been slow, with many promised updates and actions remaining unfulfilled.
Timeline of the Dispute
18 March 2025: A resident formally requests a detailed breakdown of the proposed service charge increase for a property at Oval Road Estate, under Section 22 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, seeking 2023-2024 actual figures.
02 April 2025: Riverside responds, stating Section 22 is not applicable to estimated charges and only applies to end-of-year accounts. They attach estimated charges for 2025-2026 and the private managing agent's 2023-2024 estimated costs.
07 April 2025: The new, increased service charge (214.50% increase from £36 to £116 per week, more than triple the previous amount) takes effect, leading to immediate financial distress for vulnerable tenants due to the Universal Credit Benefit Cap.
15 May 2025: The resident submits a formal complaint to Riverside, addressing the urgent service charge dispute (including the Section 22 failure) and highlighting five long-standing estate maintenance issues: Lighting, Safeguarding, Broken Front Gate Security, Parking Nuisance, and Planned External Works Notification (which includes cladding replacement).
19 May 2025: Councillor Richard Cotton writes to Riverside, supporting the tenants' concerns about the unjustifiable service charge increase, noting it is £6,032.00 per annum compared to £1,872.00 previously. The Councillor also questions if it is based on the cost of services for the entire Henson Building, including concierge services primarily enjoyed by private flats.
22 May 2025: During an estate inspection, ongoing issues are noted, including safeguarding concerns for (Flat 64), continued lighting problems, intercom distortion, parking issues, and lack of information on planned external works.
29 May 2025:
Riverside acknowledges Stage 1 complaint 030239, outlining the issues raised.
Riverside also sends a separate email, refusing to accept certain aspects of the complaint, specifically digital communication system issues and the safeguarding concern for the resident in Flat 64, citing GDPR.
A phone conversation between the resident and a Property Manager at Riverside leads to the Property Manager agreeing to investigate the service charge discrepancy (potential overcharging for private sector services) and the Section 20B procedures for 2022 hallway work.
12 June 2025: Riverside issues its Stage 1 complaint decision for 030239.
The service charge aspect is partially upheld, acknowledging the Section 22 request was "regrettably not actioned" due to a misunderstanding, promising the information by June 27, 2025, at the latest. The increase is attributed to Estate Management costs and a 2023/2024 "administrative error". Riverside states a review of the calculation is "not required".
The estate inspection aspect is also partially upheld due to a "lack of communication". Updates are provided on repairs, with many expecting further contact by June 26, 2025.
25 June 2025: The resident formally escalates to a Stage 2 complaint (still Reference 030239), citing continued dissatisfaction with the Stage 1 resolution, including the delayed Section 22 information, insufficient service charge justification (and the suspected incorrect apportionment of private sector costs), lack of interim financial hardship measures, and unsatisfactory progress/communication on maintenance issues. The resident also requests reconsideration of the previously rejected complaint points regarding digital communication and safeguarding.
11 July 2025: A Riverside Complaints Handler acknowledges the Stage 2 complaint (new Reference 03871122), outlining the reasons for dissatisfaction and the requested resolutions, with a target response date of July 31, 2025.
15 July 2025: The resident submits supplemental information for the Stage 2 complaint, reinforcing that Riverside is the sole managing agent for social housing, challenging the "managing agent costs" justification, reiterating suspicions of incorrect charging for private flat services (like concierge), and noting that the promised Section 22 information and June 26/27 updates have still not been provided, indicating further policy deviations.
29 July 2025: Riverside informs the resident that they require additional time for the Stage 2 investigation and extends the response deadline to 28 August 2025.
Over recent years, residents of Oval Road Estate have faced persistent and unresolved problems related to basic housing services - ranging from extended lift outages to communal lighting faults lasting over a year. Despite some gradual improvements, many of these gains have come at significant personal cost to those volunteering their time to advocate for fair treatment and essential maintenance.
While efforts continue behind the scenes, it has not always been possible to regularly update this site. The ongoing demands of self-advocacy, documentation, and negotiation with the housing provider have placed an unreasonable burden on individuals who, like all residents, are simply asking for the services they pay for.
Significant overcharges in service fees - particularly for the years 2018–2020 - are now being partially corrected by One Housing through staggered repayments. However, service charges for subsequent years (2020–2023) remain based on inflated estimates, with formal accounts still pending. The estimated total refund for just those two years stands at around £40,000 - a figure that underlines the scale of the issue.
Meanwhile, residents continue to face:
Repeated lift failures
Hallway lighting stuck permanently on, contributing to excessive electricity charges
Overheating due to unbalanced communal heating and hot water settings
Disruption from the nearby Morrisons redevelopment, which is set to continue for five more years
Ongoing impact from Labtech Camden Market operations
We are proud of the resilience and commitment shown by this community. However, residents should not be expected to act as unpaid caretakers in order to receive the basic housing conditions laid out in their tenancy agreements.
We continue to document all unresolved issues and will present fuller reports in due course. Our hope remains that, in the future, transparent and responsive management will make such documentation unnecessary.
Oval Rd CRM:02780005761
As of 8pm this Friday evening - the start of the three-day Bank Holiday weekend - the lift at Oval Road Estate remains out of service. This fault was first reported in writing at 16:16 on Wednesday, yet two full days later, no update or public notice has been provided to residents.
This breakdown is particularly serious for residents who are wheelchair users, those with young children, and those relying on grocery deliveries, which cannot always be carried upstairs by delivery drivers. The lift's extended outage leaves many households in a precarious and vulnerable position.
This afternoon, Property Manager Nnadozie Orisakwe visited the estate for an inspection but had not been informed of the issue. The question remains:
Why was our property manager unaware of such a critical fault on his estate for multiple days - until residents raised the alarm directly?
The lack of communication and coordination is unacceptable, particularly with the likelihood that this fault will remain unresolved until after the long weekend - potentially leaving the lift unusable for nearly a week.
We request an urgent written response from Mark Reynolds, Head of Compliance Contracts, explaining:
What action will be taken to resolve the issue
How vulnerable residents are expected to manage in the meantime
Why internal communication breakdowns prevented the property manager from being informed
Please respond urgently and in writing to:
📧 ovalroadestate@gmail.com
Residents deserve timely updates, clear communication, and a proactive approach to critical repairs. This situation must not be allowed to recur.
Residents of the Oval Road Estate, located at 30 Oval Road (within the Henson Building), are again raising serious concerns about persistent overheating in their homes. This issue affects 70 flats in total - including 24 homes managed by One Housing - and is directly linked to the excessively high temperature settings of the communal heat exchange system.
Over recent years, the problem has worsened significantly. Today’s video evidence (see link below) shows hot water temperatures exceeding 70°C at the tap, while official guidance from the Health and Safety Executive recommends a safe delivery temperature of 44°C to avoid the risk of scalding, particularly for children and vulnerable residents.
🔗 HSE Guidance on Scalding and Burning
📺 [Watch today's video measurement on YouTube - embedded below]
This excessive heat also means that many residents cannot close their windows without experiencing oppressive internal temperatures - undermining both comfort and sound insulation. This is especially concerning now that the Morrisons redevelopment has begun directly in front of our homes, with demolition and construction noise expected to continue for the next six years.
The cause appears to be the communal heating system that pumps 80°C water from three basement boilers up into individual utility cupboards. Heat is transferred via radiator-like exchangers into our homes, creating persistent latent heat even when radiators are off - including in summer months. This makes many flats unbearably hot year-round.
We are urgently calling for:
Immediate consultation and technical investigation into this issue
A clear explanation of system settings and design constraints
A practical solution - such as reducing the temperature settings for the Oval Road Estate section (flats 47–70) by approximately 20°C, subject to testing
We request urgent written response and collaboration from all responsible parties, including housing officers, property managers, and building services contractors.
📧 Please reply to: ovalroadestate@gmail.com
We appreciate the need for system-wide considerations, but the wellbeing and safety of Oval Road residents must be prioritised. This situation cannot continue through the coming summer and multi-year construction period.
27 May 2021
Dear Resident,
Please accept our sincere apologies for the ongoing issue with the lift at Oval Rd. We are dealing with this as a matter of urgency. An engineer will be attending today.
Thank you for your patience and please accept our apologies for the disruption.
If you have a query about the repair, please call us on or email us 0300 123 9966 ask@onehousing.co.uk
Yours sincerely,
Mark Reynolds
Head of Compliance Contracts
Thank you. We will contact you if there are any details that need to be clarified.
Name: REDACTED
Phone: REDACTED
Address: REDACTED 30 Oval Road
Postcode: NW1 7DE
Tenancy: REDACTED 30 Oval Road, REDACTED
Repair type: Communal Block
Days available: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday
Appointment time: 12pm-5pm
Description: Lift just malfunctioned on the 4th floor person had trouble getting out and delivery person could not call the lift and had to walk up stairs with many packages. One of the two main inner lift ceiling lights has also been broken for many months and been reported to property manager at least 3 times since 24 Dec 2020, these lights need replacing with LED lights to stop them breaking down so frequently. The cleaning of the lift has become terrible with new cleaner also just smearing the stainless steel and not cleaning properly. Prefer email to call, otherwise please make appointment to call by email for afternoon call, thank you
Is someone self-isolating: No
Attachments:
https://myonehousing.co.uk/__data/assets/file/0024/27294/IMG_5302.jpeg
https://myonehousing.co.uk/__data/assets/file/0025/27295/IMG_4919.jpeg
https://myonehousing.co.uk/__data/assets/file/0026/27296/IMG_4654.jpeg
THIS CONCEPT POSITIONS A NEW TOURIST ATTRACTION ON THE WEST SIDE OF GILBEYS YARD AND ADDS CANAL TOWPATH ACCESS TO OVAL ROAD BRIDGE THAT COULD SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASE NUMBERS OF VISITORS COMING UP INTO GILBEYS YARD FROM CAMDEN LOCK AND THE HIGH STREET TO THIS RESIDENTIAL AREA. OUR ENVIRONMENT NEEDS TO BE PROTECTED. WE ARE LITERALLY BEING SURROUNDED BY DEVELOPMENT WITH LITTLE OR NO CONSIDERATION LET ALONE PROTECTION, OR REAL INVOLVEMENT IN THE DECISIONS THAT AFFECT OUR QUALITY OF LIFE SO SIGNIFICANTLY.
AFTER RECENT REPORTS TO COUNCIL, ST GEORGE & LABTECH CAMDEN MARKET ABOUT NOISY FOOT TRAFFIC IN & OUT OF GILBEYS YARD SINCE MORRISONS CAMDEN SUPERMARKET WAS BOARDED UP AND ALL CROSS ACCESS BLOCKED NOW UNTIL THE FIRST QUARTER 2027 FOR DEMOLITION IN APRIL AND 6 YEARS OF CONSTRUCTION OF THE NEW CAMDEN GOODS YARD NEIGHBOURHOOD OF 600 HOMES PLUS OFFICES AND RETAIL ON THE SITE, WITH THE SUPERMARKET RETURNING UNDERGROUND AT CANAL LEVEL (2.5 M BELOW THE YARD) UNDER THE NEW CGY HOMES AND OFFICES.
A LABTECH REPRESENTATIVE HAS ASSURED THAT ALL GILBEYS YARD ACCESS FROM THE MARKET WITH BE KEPT LOCKED AND USED ONLY FOR EMERGENCY FIRE ESCAPE ACCESS. THIS WILL HELP PROTECT THE GILBEYS YARD COMMUNITY FROM BEING BLIGHTED BY THE 4TH BUSIEST TOURIST AREA IN UK.
ON A SIDE NOTE, GILBEYS YARD, JUNIPER CRESCENT AND CAMDEN MARKET ALL BECOME PART OF THE NEW NEIGHBOURHOOD CALLED "CAMDEN GOODS YARD" AFTER ITS HERITAGE USE AND THERE IS A SUPPLEMENTARY PLANNING FRAMEWORK FOR THIS AREA CREATED IN 2017 BY THE COUNCIL THAT YOU CAN READ ABOUT HERE
TODAY THE REFUSE ROOM GOT WHAT LOOKS AND FEELS LIKE A GOOD QUALITY REPLACEMENT EXTERNAL DOOR, AND THE WORLD FEELS BETTER FOR IT. THANK YOU.
THE LOBBY DOUBLE DOORS SEEM TO HAVE BEEN FIXED WITHIN A FEW DAYS ALSO. THANK YOU.
SUBJECT WAS RAISED YESTERDAY AT THE CAMDEN GOODS YARD CONSTRUCTION WORKING GROUP HELD BY NEW LANDOWNERS ST GEORGE VIA ZOOM
NOW 4AM UNABLE TO SLEEP, ANGRY AT THE WAY WE ARE BEING TREATED. AFTER BEING KEPT UP REPORTING MAJOR BREAKDOWNS AND PROVIDING EMERGENCY ELECTRICIAN UTILITY CUPBOARD ACCESS, FOR HIM TO SCUTTLE OFF AT 2AM OUT OF TIME FOR FIXING ALL COMMUNAL LIGHTING OR LIFT
DESPITE THE FACT THAT THIS IS THE CLOSEST RESIDENTIAL ESTATE/BUILDING TO THESE WORKS IN THE WHOLE YARD. THE FRONT OF THIS ESTATE LITERALLY OVERLOOKING IT, YET ONE HOUSING ONLY PROVIDED THE OTHER BUILDINGS IN GILBEYS YARD WITH NOTICES, OVER A WEEK IN ADVANCE (SHOULD BE A MINIMUM OF 2 WEEKS NOTICE). THEN ON THE SECOND DAY OF THE WORKS HAVING COMMENCED, STUCK A NOTICE WITH GAFFER TAPE OVER OUR SECURITY PANEL AT OUR GATEWAY ENTRANCE TUESDAY 19TH JAN -- SUCH AN EFFICIENT WAY OF OFFENDING AND ABUSING OVAL ROAD ESTATE CUSTOMERS. A MONDAY MORNING GIFT OF EXTREMELY LOUD PLANNED WORKS RIGHT UNDER THE WINDOWS OF THE FAMILY HOMES OF THE ESTATE WHO ARE SO DEPENDENT ON INTERNET AUDIO / VIDEO COMMUNICATIONS FOR WORK AND SCHOOLING - MADE IMPOSSIBLE FOR A WEEK NOW OF PROLONGED HIGH IMPACT WORK BY OUR CARING HOUSING SERVICE WITHOUT ANY NOTICE TO GIVE US THE CHANCE OF MAKING ANY OTHER ARRANGEMENTS.
LIKE MOST THINGS, WE HAVE REPORTED AND COMPLAINED TO ONE HOUSING REPEATEDLY, THAT THEY REPEATEDLY FORGET OVAL ROAD ESTATE EXISTS IN GILBEYS YARD. IT IS INCREASINGLY UNREASONABLE AND VERY RUDE. WHAT IS YOUR PROBLEM ONE HOUSING? TOO MANY PROPERTIES? TOO FEW FRONTLINE STAFF? TOO MANY OVERPAID EXECUTIVES ALLOWED TO UNNECESSARILY WASTE SO MUCH MONEY CORPORATE REBRANDING, MORE FREQUENTLY THAN THEY CLEAN OUR CARPETS? YOU SIMPLY CANNOT PROVIDE THE BASIC LEVEL OF SERVICE TO YOUR CUSTOMERS AND SHOULDN'T BE GIVEN ANY MORE PROPERTY BY DEVELOPERS OR VULNERABLE TENANTS BY COUNCILS. YOU'RE UTTERLY LOST AND A DESTROYER OF COMMUNITIES
YOUR HOUSING IS SO UNHEALTHY, ABUSIVE AND SOUL DESTROYING
ONGOING BROKEN ENTRY LOCKS CONTINUE TO ENABLE CRIMINALS AND ADDICTS TO TAKE OVER THE ESTATE INCREASING EXPOSURE OF VULNERABLE RESIDENTS TO COVID-19 AND THE RISK OF INTOXICATED VIOLENCE IN OUR OWN COMMUNAL AREAS, ENABLED BY ONE HOUSING AND THEIR ONE PROBLEM TENANT THAT THEY CANNOT MANAGE AND THE CCTV THAT THEY SEEM UNABLE OR REFUSE TO PROVIDE FOR OVER 6 YEARS EVEN THOUGH THIS ESTATE HAS BEEN REPEATEDLY DOCUMENTED AND PROVEN TO NEED VERY BASIC CCTV OVER TWO ACTION PLANS IN 2014 AND 2017 FOR THE POSSIBILITY OF BASIC SAFETY, THIS NEED THEN SUBSEQUENTLY PROVEN BY MULTIPLE VIOLENT INCIDENTS IN 2018 THAT NEEDED DOCUMENTING BY THEIR CCTV BUT IT ISN'T PROVIDED AND THE BURDEN OF PROOF PUT ONTO VICTIMS AND PAYING TENANTS TO REPORT AND PROVIDE IMPOSSIBLE EVIDENCE, EVEN THEN IF BY SOME MIRACLE AND A LOT OF WORK AND RISK SAID EVIDENCE IS PROCURED, THEY STILL CAN'T GET ANYTHING EFFECTIVE DONE IN 7 MISERABLE DEMORALISING YEARS FOR SO MANY RESIDENTS OF THIS ESTATE.
LOBBY DOUBLE DOORS CONTINUING TO WORK
HOPEFULLY THE CCTV FOR THESE 3 ENTRY AREAS CAN BE IMPLEMENTED URGENTLY AS PRESCRIBED IN THE 2014 OVAL ROAD ESTATE ACTION PLAN AND MADE AN EMERGENCY REQUIREMENT SINCE THE 2018 VIOLENT CRIME THAT IS STILL A THREAT IN 2020 DUE TO LACK OF EFFECTIVE OR TIMELY ACTION FROM OHG COMMUNITY SAFETY DEPARTMENT
REPORT + PHOTO PROVIDED BY A CONCERNED NEIGHBOUR + PARENT
ONE HOUSING NEED TO INVESTIGATE USING HENSON CCTV (VISIBLE IN PHOTO) TO FIND OUT WHAT IS GOING ON, EACH TIME THIS HAPPENS UNTIL THEY CAN STOP IT HAPPENING
LOBBY DOUBLE DOORS CONTINUING TO WORK ALSO
HOPEFULLY WE CAN HAVE A PERIOD OF THESE 2, OF THE 5, ENTRY POINTS WORKING SO THAT THE 3 OTHERS - REFUSE ROOM & STAIRS DOORS CAN BE PROPERLY SECURED AND CCTV COVERING THESE 3 ENTRY AREAS TO PROTECT THEM AND HELP KEEP BUILDING ENTRY SECURE AND FUNCTIONING
JUST 6 DAYS AFTER IT WAS WORKING
THE HENSON MANAGEMENT CCTV CAMERA, THAT COVERS THE GATE, NEEDS TO BE UTILISED, AS PROOF OF HOW, WHY & WHO IS BREAKING OUR GATE
WE WILL NOT BE ACCUSED OF THE VANDALISING OF OUR OWN SECURITY. IF ONE HOUSING CANNOT PROVIDE BASIC COMMUNITY SAFETY SERVICE ON IT'S ESTATES, THEN IT IS THE OHG COMMUNITY SAFETY DEPARTMENT'S RESPONSIBILITY IN NOT DEALING WITH ISSUES PROPERLY OR IN REASONABLE TIME, ESPECIALLY GIVEN THE MANY DOCUMENTED REPORTS OF THE EXISTING PROBLEM TENANT AND ASSOCIATES THAT BREACH THAT TENANCY - ENDANGERING THE WHOLE BUILDING.
PUT UP A CLEAR OFFICIAL NOTICE - INFORMING ANYONE THAT MAY HAVE LEARNING DIFFICULTIES, THAT PUSHING THE GATE TO TRY TO OPEN IT QUICKER CAUSES CRIMINAL DAMAGE TO IT AND COMPROMISES THE SECURITY OF THE WHOLE BUILDING. YOU NEED TO STATE THAT THERE IS CCTV COVERING IT THAT ENABLES IDENTIFICATION & PROSECUTION + USE IT !
IT WAS GOOD TO HAVE THE POSTMAN CALL THE INTERCOM TO BE LET INTO THE BUILDING.
THESE BROKEN LOBBY DOUBLE DOORS WERE REPORTED BY ONE DIRECT OPERATIVES ON 18 AUGUST 2020 - IT TOOK 3 MONTHS AND 8 DAYS FOR THESE UNSECURE COMMUNAL ENTRANCE DOORS, TO THIS BLOCK, TO BE REPAIRED.
ONE HOUSING REPAIRS SERVICE STANDARDS ARE PUBLISHED ON THEIR WEBSITE HERE, THE TEXT RELATED TO THE SERVICE STANDARD OF THIS REPAIR IS AS FOLLOWS:
"Emergency repairs
We will attend and complete or make safe emergency repairs within 24 hours. Any follow up work will be raised as a new job and dealt with in line with our routine repair process.
What is an emergency repair?
Making a property secure, for example after break-in, or a broken front door or unsecure communal entrance doors to blocks
Routine repairs
We will attend within seven working days and complete within 28 working days. "
SOME ETECH WORK HAPPENING ON FOB SYSTEM, VERY SLOWLY, YET NO CCTV TO PROTECT THE ENTRY AREAS FROM VANDALISM AND VIOLENCE ONCE THE ENTRY POINTS ARE FIXED AND WORKING, THEREFORE EVEN FIXING THE ENTRY POINTS WILL ONLY BE HALF THE REMEMDY OF SECURING THE BUILDING. WITHOUT CCTV THE ENTRY IS NOT SAFE AND THE ENTRY POINTS WILL BE COMPROMISED AND BROKEN.
SOME RECENT PHOTOS BELOW FROM VARIOUS RESIDENTS -
ALL 3 MAIN ENTRY POINTS BROKEN AND STUCK OPEN - NO BUILDING SECURITY THROUGH THE WEEKEND AND BEYOND, FILMED 9TH NOVEMBER 2020
Overflowing bins due to collections being blocked by bulk waste in refuse room, that should be dealt with by a 2nd weekly clean of refuse room, lobby, lift and gateway every Thursday afternoon.
REQUESTS FOR LONGER LASTING / VIBRATION RESISTANT LED LIGHTING CONTINUES TO BE IGNORED YEAR AFTER YEAR AND IT ALWAYS TAKES TOO MANY MONTHS TO FIX EACH TIME EITHER OR BOTH OF THESE LIGHTS BREAK. LEAVING US SUSCEPTIBLE TO IT BEING IN COMPLETE DARKNESS AT ANY POINT WITH WHEELCHAIR BOUND STILL HAVING TO USE IT IN THE DARK
OFFENSIVE GRAFFITI CONTINUING SINCE THE HOUSING ASSOCIATION HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO SERVICE OR SECURE THE BUILDING, ESPECIALLY SINCE JUNE 2019 WHEN ONE HOUSING MANAGEMENT AND THE WAY THEY PROVIDE SERVICES WERE DRAMATICALLY CHANGED WITHOUT PRIOR CONSULTATION WITH AFFECTED TENANTS, IN BREACH OF TENANCY - TAKING AWAY OUR ONLY REMAINING REGULAR SUPPORT / CONTACT - HOUSING OFFICERS AND OUR ABILITY TO ENGAGE ON-SITE WITH THE SERVICES WE PAY FOR. HENCE THE NEED FOR THE WEBSITE.
6:45 AM FRIDAY 13TH NOVEMBER 2020
11:17am
THE DELIVERY PERSON HAD A VERY BIG BAG OF PACKAGES AND HE ALMOST REFUSED TO COME UP THE STAIRS. ANOTHER DELIVERY COMPANY REFUSED TO COME UP RECENTLY AT A TIME WHEN WE ARE SO DEPENDENT ON DELIVERY OF ONLINE SHOPPING TO SUPPORT THE COMMUNITY IN REDUCING CROWDS IN PUBLIC AND CONTROL THE VIRUS. THE LOBBY & TINY LIFT IS NOT SAFE FOR VIRUS DISTANCING AND A SPECIFIC VIOLENT THREAT REPORTED REPEATEDLY TO ONE HOUSING FOR TOO MANY YEARS WITH THE DOCUMENTED AND REPORTED NEED FOR BASIC CCTV IN LOBBY, GATEWAY AND REFUSE ROOM NOT IMPLEMENTED BY ONE HOUSING AS WELL AS MOST ENTRY POINTS NOT BEING KEPT SECURED.
AFTER SUPPORTING ONE HOUSING FOR 7 YEARS ATTENDING EVERY MONTHLY ESTATE INSPECTION, AND, WHEN GIVEN THE ABILITY TO BE INVOLVED IN REPAIRS AND MAINTENANCE WORK, HAVE PROVEN THAT WE CAN SUPPORT THE HOUSING SERVICE IN PROVIDING LONG TERM ECONOMIC SOLUTIONS TO OUR COMMUNAL BUILDING ISSUES, WHILE ALSO PAYING RENT AND SERVICE CHARGE. WITHOUT OUR INVOLVEMENT THERE EVIDENTLY IS NOT THE OVERSIGHT OR STRATEGIC COORDINATION THAT IS REQUIRED TO SOLVE ISSUES AND WE ARE EXPECTED PAY THE COST OF THE INEVITABLE MISTAKES.
SINCE JUNE 2019, OVER A YEAR NOW, ALL ENGAGEMENT / PARTICIPATION IN OUR HOUSING SERVICE HAS BEEN RUDELY TAKEN FROM US, WITHOUT ANY FORM OF CONSULTATION WITH AFFECTED TENANTS, IN BREACH OF OUR TENANCIES AND ONE HOUSING POLICY THAT STATES THAT THEY PROVIDE INVOLVEMENT TO TENANTS IN THEIR HOUSING SERVICE. NOW WE DON'T EVEN HAVE INFORMATION ABOUT THE REPAIRS AND MAINTENANCE OF OUR ESTATE CULMINATING IN ALL 5 ENTRY POINTS BEING COMPROMISED WITHOUT COORDINATION OR MANAGEMENT IN PLACE TO FIX THESE EMERGENCY ISSUES IN REASONABLE TIME OR STANDARD. THE NEW PROPERTY MANAGEMENT REGIME DOES NOT WORK AND HAS PUT ONE HOUSING TENANTS IN CONSTANT DANGER, TO THE DETRIMENT OF TENANTS' PHYSICAL AND MENTAL HEALTH.
MORE ON THIS AT THE FOLLOWING PAGES: Management & One Housing Group
OVAL ROAD ESTATE ENTRY POINTS THAT ONE HOUSING IS INCAPABLE OF SECURING
KEY FOR DIAGRAM BELOW:
Main Gate - BROKEN SINCE 18 JULY 2020
Lobby double glass doors - INTERMITTENT FAULT WITNESSED & REPORTED BY ONE DIRECT OPERATIVES 18 AUGUST 2020 10:53
Lift doors - non security door BUT THE LIFT HAS BEEN MAKING LOUD FRICTION NOISES OVER A MONTH THAT MUST BE FIXED
Glass door to stairs up - VERY WEAK MAGLOCK THAT IS NOT FIT FOR PURPOSE. HAS BEEN NEGLECTED FOR YEARS, COMPROMISING WHOLE BUILDING. WHY DO ONE HOUSING CONTINUE TO ENABLE SHORT TERM REPAIRS THAT WASTE OUR RESOURCES? , AND GETS STUCK ON COBBLES DESPITE DOCUMENTED PRETEND REPAIR IN 2015
Glass door to basement down - VERY WEAK MAGLOCK THAT IS NOT FIT FOR PURPOSE. HAS BEEN NEGLECTED FOR YEARS, AND GETS STUCK ON COBBLES DESPITE DOCUMENTED PRETEND REPAIR IN 2015
External Refuse Store double doors - VERY WEAK MAGLOCKS THAT ARE NOT FIT FOR PURPOSE. HAS BEEN NEGLECTED FOR YEARS, COMPROMISING WHOLE BUILDING.
Internal Refuse Store door - REPORTED SUBSTANDARD DOOR REPLACEMENT 2017/04/04 THAT WAS NOT LIKE FOR LIKE THAT CAUSES UNCLEANABLE HEALTH HAZARD. HAS NEVER HAD A LOCK UNTIL 2020 WHEN AN INAPPROPRIATE LOCK WAS FITTED BACK TO FRONT AND BOTH SYMBOLISE ONE HOUSING'S INABILITY TO MANAGE THE PROPERTY. NEGLECTED FOR YEARS, COMPROMISING SECURITY OF WHOLE BUILDING.
Oval Road Estate entry points no. 1. to 7.
ALL REPORTED IN WRITING BY EMAIL AND ON THIS WEBSITE. NOTHING REPAIRED OR MAINTAINED IN REASONABLE TIME. THIS HOUSING SERVICE IS NOT OF REASONABLE STANDARD.
Main entry gate faulty for over a month. Estate open to public. No entry security working. Cannot let deliveries in with intercom at lobby double doors
This should have been an emergency priority investigation inspected & reported by One Housing Property Management and all other One Housing operatives who have been on site and are duty bound to report any issue they find when here no matter whether it is their direct responsibility.
The lift has been making very loud disturbing friction noise that can be heard all the way inside our homes for over a month. It clearly needs an urgent service, and is unsafe.
This should have been an emergency priority investigation inspected & reported by One Housing Property Management and all other One Housing operatives who have been on site and are duty bound to report any issue they find when here no matter whether it is their direct responsibility.
Bulk waste not being removed for months blocking regular waste collection by the council veolia service, this should be an urgent priority investigation inspected & reported by One Housing Property Management and all other One Housing operatives who have been on site and are duty bound to report any issue they find when here no matter whether it is their direct responsibility.
Communal areas increasingly occupied and abused by criminals, drug users and rough sleepers.
We have never seen graffiti tagging like this in our refuse room or lift
Dumped white goods remain and increase some last photographed here 9th July, now 22 August
Ceiling damage on 1st floor like this for months, photographed since 23 January 2020, now 22 August. At least 7 months unrepaired.
Site Address
Camden Goods Yard - Morrisons Superstore and Petrol Filling Station
Chalk Farm Road, London NW1 8EH
Application Registered 23-07-2020
Comments Until 14-08-2020
Application Number 2020/3116/P
Site Address Camden Goods Yard Morrisons Superstore and Petrol Filling Station Chalk Farm Road London NW1 8EH
Application Type Variation or Removal of Condition(s)
Development Type Approval or variation of Conditions
Proposal Variation of Conditions 3 (approved drawings) and 73 (number and mix of residential units) of planning permission 2017/3847/P dated 15/06/2018 (as amended by 2020/2786/P dated 09/07/2020, 2020/0034/P dated 05/05/20, 2019/6301/P dated 24/12/2019, 2019/0153/P dated 06/02/2019 and 2019/2962/P dated 04/07/2019) for redevelopment of the petrol filling station site and main supermarket site; namely for: additional storeys across buildings A, B, C and F creating 71 additional residential units (52 market, 19 affordable) (Class C3) and associated elevational changes; relocation of concierge to Block A; and alterations to basement and landscaping. This application is accompanied by an addendum to the original Environmental Statement.
Current Status REGISTERED
Applicant St George West London Limited .
Agent Turley
Wards Camden Town with Primrose Hill
Location Co ordinates Easting 528412 Northing 184106
OS Mapsheet
Appeal Submitted? No
Appeal Decision
Case Officer / Tel Kristina Smith 4986
Division Planning Solutions Team
Planning Officer Kristina Smith
Determination Level
Existing Land Use A1 Shop
Proposed Land Use A1 Shop, B1 Business, C3 Dwelling House
block F2 looming over the west side of Gilbeys Yard goes up by 2 storeys and the east tower of Block C looming over east side of Gilbeys Yard goes up by 2 storeys
Thats +4.895m west side of yard. +4.650m east side of yard - this is a lot more height and interrupts the sightline of the heritage Interchange Building
Friday 3rd July 11:06 Reported in writing by email to ask@onehousinggroup.co.uk
We continue to be intruded upon by rough sleepers in our communal areas due to the inability of One Housing to secure the refuse room which compromises the whole estate to the public and also the problem tenant known to One Housing continuing to invite and giving access to dangerous rough sleepers, criminals and addicts into the building via these security compromises which the tenant further compromises as officially reported in writing repeated for years.
This is a very urgent request for the excrement to be cleared and an official complaint of the inability of One Housing to secure this building refuse room and staircase door on ground floor in reasonable time
This was documented by camera
Friday 3rd July 11:06 Reported in writing by email to ask@onehousinggroup.co.uk
with attached photo evidence
What One Housing have done as some sort of cruel joke is the opposite, they have locked residents going from the mailroom lobby into the refuse room, not even using the contactless fob that we have at all the other building entry points but a complicated code pad that needs a lot of contact and is even more of a health hazard than the already reported uncleanable door surface. This unbelievable carelessness creates a major new coronavirus COVID-19 infection hazard with zero security benefit to the building, especially with the code taped above the keypad as you can see in the photo below.
Thursday, 11 June - wrong type of lock put on Refuse Room inner door, the wrong way around
Tuesday, 25 February 2020 from 10:30 – 10:54 - ETech operative on site to assess building entry security for a report / quote to One Housing. Thankfully they called my intercom for entry so I was able to accompany and assist with explanation of our issues with compromised security through the Refuse Room Outer and Inner doors' as well as the glass door up to the stairs that constantly breaks because it also needs a much stronger locking mechanism. The magnetic lock is compromised by the bendy aluminium doors, just like the refuse room external double doors. The inner refuse room door simply needed the same contactless fob key security to get from the refuse room into the lobby to protect the building from intruders, if they get through the external refuse room doors.
THE ACTUAL SERVICE CHARGE FIGURES PROVIDED BY OHG FOR 2018 - 2019 CLEARLY SHOW THAT ONLY £40,000 OF THE £70,000 THESE 24 UNITS HAVE PAID FOR THIS ESTATE ARE ACCOUNTED FOR, THEREFORE WE HAVE £20,000 LEFT OVER THAT CAN SECURE THE BUILDING WITH BASIC SECURITY AT OUR ENTRY POINTS WITH STRONG LOCKING MECHANISMS & DOORS WITH JUST 3 CCTV CAMERAS - AT THE GATEWAY, LOBBY AND REFUSE ROOM.
inner door needs fob security to get into the lobby. Reported for many years
Rubbish room door unclean-able health hazard created by poor One Direct repairs that was not like for like replacement, against One Housing policy, reported since 4th April 2017 thats over 3 years of continuous repeated reporting ignored by One Housing and One Direct.
Oval Road Estate entry points no. 1. to 7.
Oval Road Estate Entry Points
Main Gate - secure
Lobby double glass doors - secure
Lift doors - non security door
Glass door to stairs up - very insecure has been neglected for years, compromising whole building
Glass door to basement down - insecure has been neglected for years
External Refuse Store double doors - very insecure and compromises whole building
Internal Refuse Store door - very insecure and compromises whole building
Tuesday 25th February 2020 - An ETech operative called this morning ( thank you for contacting our representative to be able to give accurate feedback ) to assess the Building Entry Doors and Utility Cupboard doors that we have been reporting for a long time.
During this visit I found that the Inner Refuse Room door hinge had been moved down from the split damaged wood (this must have happened yesterday, Monday 24th February 2020) to enable that fire door to close, though the actual door remains an uncleanable health hazard caused by One Direct operative Mickey not replacing it "like for like" on 4th April 2017. It should be a white powder coated cleanable surface door like those in the basement utility cupboards.
The Inner Refuse Room door also needs to have the fob key security on the inside of the refuse room to secure the mailroom lobby and all communal areas from criminals that get into the refuse room, with a basic release button to get into the refuse room from the mailroom lobby.
The 2nd floor utility cupboard door had been fixed enabling it to be locked, and the ETech operative made a plan to fix the latches for those double doors, his report to be submitted to his office and then hopefully One Housing will respond positively in reasonable time. The 4th floor double utility cupboard door latch was still seized closed, and a plan was suggested by the ETech operative, this is needed for clear access to the 4th floor TV aerial and satellite control panels.
ETech measured the outer refuse room doors which I explained all parties had concluded over a very long time that these soft bendy aluminium doors needed replacing with rigid doors to match security strength of the main gate next to it, as the present aluminium doors are too flexible, especially with the bottom latch broken and the top latch being unlatched constantly by the problem tenant without keys. This security compromise is what allows the rough sleeping drug users and criminals. Recent 4am burglar intruder included.
We looked at the ground floor stairs door and the ETech operative came up with a good suggestion to replace the top mag lock that is not strong enough, due again to the bendy soft nature of its aluminium frame, to put a proper bolt lock in the middle at the handle to significantly increase the strength of this entry point.
I hope that the ETech offices will provide One Housing these suggestions and quotes and that One Housing will organise the approval of these essential safety measures as soon as possible.
Was surprised to find a note scribbled and stuck on the outer Refuse Room double doors top latch, see photo below, which seems to be a complaint about "junkies", I can understand this frustration as this is the point that lets criminal drug addicts into our communal areas, guided by the one problem tenant in the building. Hope that whoever took the time to do this also took the time to make a proper report to One Housing, Police and Council as we need more than one representative reporting issues properly.
given access to our building and communal areas by problem tenant on 1st floor, who unlatches the left side of the double doors to compromise the mag locks to be able to force them open with violent force
This was witnessed and recorded on video
Monday 10th March 16:37 Police report reference CAD5543/10MAR20
The Police kindly attended very quickly.
given access to our building and communal areas by problem tenant on 1st floor
This is also a severe compromising of our hygiene, especially during the coronavirus issue
Sunday 8th March 04:39am Police report reference CAD1472/08MAR20
The Police kindly attended and removed the person, who said he had been let in by friend on floor below.
Tuesday 25th February 2020 - An ETech operative called this morning ( thank you for contacting our representative to be able to give accurate feedback ) to assess the Building Entry Doors and Utility Cupboard doors that we have been reporting for a long time.
During this visit I found that the Inner Refuse Room door hinge had been moved down from the split damaged wood (this must have happened yesterday, Monday 24th February 2020) to enable that fire door to close, though the actual door remains an uncleanable health hazard caused by One Direct operative Mickey not replacing it "like for like" on 4th April 2017. It should be a white powder coated cleanable surface door like those in the basement utility cupboards.
The Inner Refuse Room door also needs to have the fob key security on the inside of the refuse room to secure the mailroom lobby and all communal areas from criminals that get into the refuse room, with a basic release button to get into the refuse room from the mailroom lobby.
The 2nd floor utility cupboard door had been fixed enabling it to be locked, and the ETech operative made a plan to fix the latches for those double doors, his report to be submitted to his office and then hopefully One Housing will respond positively in reasonable time. The 4th floor double utility cupboard door latch was still seized closed, and a plan was suggested by the ETech operative, this is needed for clear access to the 4th floor TV aerial and satellite control panels.
ETech measured the outer refuse room doors which I explained all parties had concluded over a very long time that these soft bendy aluminium doors needed replacing with rigid doors to match security strength of the main gate next to it, as the present aluminium doors are too flexible, especially with the bottom latch broken and the top latch being unlatched constantly by the problem tenant without keys. This security compromise is what allows the rough sleeping drug users and criminals. Recent 4am burglar intruder included.
We looked at the ground floor stairs door and the ETech operative came up with a good suggestion to replace the top mag lock that is not strong enough, due again to the bendy soft nature of its aluminium frame, to put a proper bolt lock in the middle at the handle to significantly increase the strength of this entry point.
I hope that the ETech offices will provide One Housing these suggestions and quotes and that One Housing will organise the approval of these essential safety measures as soon as possible.
Was surprised to find a note scribbled and stuck on the outer Refuse Room double doors top latch, see photo below, which seems to be a complaint about "junkies", I can understand this frustration as this is the point that lets criminal drug addicts into our communal areas, guided by the one problem tenant in the building. Hope that whoever took the time to do this also took the time to make a proper report to One Housing, Police and Council as we need more than one representative reporting issues properly.
Friday 21st February 2020 - In response to our reports and complaints of the property management we finally had our first on site inspection that a tenant could give feedback at of the estate in 7 months since the one 6 hour meeting with the then new Property Manager on 18 July 2019. NO DOCUMENTATION WAS PROVIDED OR ALLOWED DURING MEETING, therefore there has been no significant progress since.
Despite requesting all One Housing matters to be dealt with in writing by email, One Housing deny this simple request and only offer on-site undocumented meetings (despite incurable virus pandemic), and important correspondence continues to only be sent by paper through the mail whilst the estate lobby mailroom has been repeatedly reported as insecure and dangerous since at least June 2018 with no safety measures put in place by One Housing.
This was a very tall white male in his 20's or 30's dressed in all black clothing including balaclava mask, then later seen around 5am he had taken off black hooded coat revealing a bright orange coat with the mask pulled down to reveal dark stubble.
Please quote these Police report references if you have any information - Crime Reference CR2304953/20 and CAD1871/12FEB20
I hope everyone is alright and will make sure you always fully lock your flat doors when inside as well as out.
This person was here all Saturday morning until a scared vulnerable neighbour reported it to the Police, who came and removed them, when One Housing should just secure the building, support their customers and relieve / reciprocate our under resourced and overstretched Police.
One Housing have a duty of care to make the building safe.
The external refuse store doors must be made strong enough
CCTV is needed in the 3 main entry areas - Refuse Store, Gateway and Mailroom Lobby
The inner refuse store door needs to have our fob key security to be able to get into the lobby
The rules of the tenancy need enforcing by One Housing in reasonable time on tenants and their visitors that compromise estate safety.
We need a housing officer / property manager that is competent, cares and has time and respect for customers.
Police CAD7782/13JAN20 - On the evening of Monday January 13th around 21:30, a problem tenant, who does not seem to have their own keys, with another person, were seen smashed their way into the building through the external refuse room doors, then dismantled and broke both strip lights in there, obviously to be able to sleep without the motion sensors turning the lights on and waking them.
This was reported and repaired the next afternoon by One Housing. Thank you to the electrical side of One Housing repairs and maintenance, who manage to provide a very good service and response, unlike the rest of One Direct Repairs and Maintenance we regret to say.
The behaviour of the organisation over the past year has been shocking with major changes to management and maintenance imposed without any consultation with the affected tenants
A. GENERAL TERMS
2.
b. The Association may, after consulting the Tenants affected, increase, add to, remove, reduce or vary the services provided.
D. THE TENANT'S RIGHTS
12. Right to Consultation:
The Association will consult the Tenant before making changes in matters of housing management or maintenance which are a likely to have a substantial effect on the Tenant.
This is disrespectful and legally unsound
Police, One Housing and Camden Council have been made aware of this breach of CBO and Mr Goldsmith is wanted by the Police, so call 999 if you see him and it is safe to do so.
Police CAD5704/30SEP19 17:31 - The Ward Neighbourhood Police Team kindly picked up and took away the axe, then later the two rough sleepers, who had barricaded themselves in there, had to be removed also by Police ref CHS36409/30SEP19 23:21.
One Housing need to pull their weight.
Just wish we could tell you exactly whats going on and what services we can now expect on our estates.
We have been trying to get written information from One Housing on all these changes since they implemented them in June 2019 without consultation or documentation >
One Housing have not provided monthly estate inspections for 7 months since the new "Property Management" department took over from the Housing Officers of the Housing department in providing and conducting estate inspections. Property Management have also taken down the 2019 estate inspections schedules that were on our notice boards.
Monthly Estate Inspections, with an advance yearly schedule put on estate notice boards, to enable tenants to attend, are a legal right and a One Housing policy
I quote the new department manager, who has since left One Housing :
5th July 2019
"I just want to take this time to formally outline the responsibilities of the new Property Manager role and how this service will look going forward and what you can expect from our team.
I would like to begin by ensuring that your June inspection was carried out by the Property Manager for the estate and we will continue to inspect the estate on a monthly basis. This inspection was carried out on the 17th June. Hannah will also be attending the walkabout on the 18th July and this will form part of her inspection for July. She does not have the capacity to visit the site routinely multiple times a month to conduct full estate inspections as she manages a number of properties in the area and must visit each of these on a monthly basis. On the 18th, she will be happy to discuss an estate inspection schedule that works for both of you and is sustainable.
As I mentioned when we met last month, the Property Managers will not be office based and will spend the majority of their time on site. As such you need to report any repairs that you notice through ask@onehousing.co.uk or via our 0300 123 9966 number. This means that the repair gets raised through the correct channels and does not rely on particular individuals being available in the office. Property Managers are not the first point of contact for residents in relation to repairs, ASB or tenancy issues. Having an office bases Customer Service Centre and Resident Management team means that residents can be confident that they will be able to reach someone who can help them when they contact us using these above details.
In response to the number of outstanding repairs you have outlined, I am sure you can appreciate that the Property Managers have only been in post for 4 weeks. During this time they have been picking up on both new and outstanding issues across their patches.
As it stands, Hannah can review the outstanding issues that you have noted and can discuss these further with you on the 18th. You will also be able to physically point out the issues that you have raised in relation to the strength of the doors at the lobby and the bin store. Hannah can also ensure that the noticeboards across Oval Road/Gilbeys Yard are updated with the new contact information. This role has been created to ensure that we are looking at our buildings and estates in a holistic way and so that we can ensure that issues on site are followed up with our specialist teams to ensure these are resolved.
I appreciate your frustrations however the changes I have outlined above are to ensure that we are able to offer the best possible service to our residents, with the safety and security of our residents being the primary focus of the Property Management team. As a valued customer of One Housing I do hope you will see an improvement as the new structure is implemented and we look forward to working with you as these changes take place.
I hope this gives you some clarity and some assurance that your concerns have been raised with the appropriate teams.
Kind Regards,
Holly O’Callaghan
Senior Property Manager"
Here is what the Property Management Officer allocated to our estates has to say:
"With regards to the One Housing’s Internal changes One Housing Group is committed to making continued improvements to the services which we provide to our residents. Following on from residents feedback and following approval from the boards (of which OHG residents sit on) we are pleased to implementing change with the sole focus on improving the customer services for our residents.
We appreciate that in the past queries got lost and there were some communications issues. To resolve this we have done a number of things.
Consolidated 46 customer facing inboxes to the 1 customer facing inbox ASK so that queries are not lost and there is a clear tracking of the query. This also means that there is clear accountability as the query goes directly to the team who is responsible, as opposed to the previous method of residents being passed from pillar to post. This will also ensure repairs are picked up quicker as these queries often got lost or delayed when incorrectly addressed to the HOs or HOAs
Split the HO and HOA functions and responsibilities in half creating 2 new departments. Resident Management and Property Management.
The Resident Management team will be mostly office based and responsible for any tenancy and home ownership related procedures. There are several tears and within resident management who will handle different queries depending on the complexity of the case.
Property Management will focus on building compliancy and the welfare of the building. Property managers will mostly be site based providing a proactive approach as they will be continually inspecting the block. Their assistants will be office based to action the PMs inspections and to answer any queries which come from ASK.
As you will appreciate the above is quite a lot of change in a small space of time. This means that it will take time to settle whilst outstanding queries are being addressed. However, we envision that once things have settled and remits have fully been established that residents should see queries been resolved at a quicker pace.
I hope this helps to clarify your query
Kind regards
Hannah Simpson
Property Manager
T: 0300 123 9966
Suttons Wharf South, 44 Palmers Road, London, E2 0TA
See drop down above for detail
The service has effectively ground to a halt since all of this was implemented so clumsily.
Rough sleepers are abusing our communal areas, causing fire hazards burning drugs and compromising hygiene with their bodily fluids, yet no caretaking is being provided on the estate from One Housing to monitor and make safe in reasonable time and the cleaning has been terrible since estate services took over from Chequers
2019 JuneOne Housing Community Safety @OneHousingASB
May 3A big thank you to @MPSCamandPrim in particular PC Ryland, for her help with an ongoing injunction we had obtained which kept being breached. Thanks to further intelligence from residents they have been able to secure a 5 year CBO against the perpetrator! Great result for all!
Camden Town Police @MPSCamandPrim
May 3For years, Peter Goldsmith has been a one-man crime wave and caused endless distress and havoc to residents of #CamdenTown. Thanks to some excellent work by PC Ryland, he is now BANNED from the borough of Camden for 5 years! He can be arrested on sight. Great work!
Camden Town and Primrose Hill safer Neighbourhood team have successfully applied for a Criminal behaviour order for Peter Goldsmith, who has subsequently been banned from Camden borough for five years as well as being prohibited from being in possession of any drugs paraphernalia for five years. This CBO is a result of a great deal of work from not only the police, but also local residents who had to put up with years of antisocial and criminal behavior from Mr Goldsmith. Hopefully this CBO will improve the quality of local resident’s lives and act as a deterrent to other prolific trouble makers.
One Housing Community Safety @OneHousingASB
Apr 24One Housing Community Safety Retweeted Camden Town Police
We have been working closely with @MPSCamandPrim in this case following obtaining an injunction that this male continued to breach. Amazing work by PC Ryland! Thank you from the team and our residents!
Victoria Musguin says she has suffered flooding and loss of hot water for weeks at a time at her newly built flat
Victoria Musguin is a member of a social tribe at the heart of London’s mounting housing scandals: young professionals living in shared ownership properties in which housing associations retain a stake.
Musguin, 31, is a freelance film-maker who lives in Suttons Wharf North, a new development in Mile End, east London. The housing was commissioned and is run by One Housing Group, which oversees more than 15,000 homes in the capital and its surrounding counties. Close by is Suttons Wharf South, completed in 2009. Together, the two developments have benefited from £32m of Greater London Authority grants.
“We had problems from day one,” says Musguin, whose flat was built in 2012. “When we moved in, we turned on the taps in the kitchen sink and water flooded everywhere, including into the flat below us. And the boiler went almost immediately. We’d be without hot water for two, three weeks at a time. At one point, three flats would give each other their kettles so we could run ourselves a bath.”
At Suttons Wharf, residents say hot water outages remain a big issue, made worse by One Housing’s poor customer service. The housing association says it is aware of such outages, and is spending £150,000 “as we continue to work to resolve them”.
At a recent residents’ meeting which the Guardian attended, other issues raised included poor cleaning standards, wildly varying service charges, and an infestation of moths in one block, which was damaging people’s clothes and carpets. Over the Christmas period of 2015, one block was left without its main front door for a week, which meant that it was open to intruders.
At Suttons Wharf South, though One Housing claims that the association is not aware of any “outstanding reported defects”, the vice-chair of the residents’ association, Taz Kha’lique, says he and other residents have suffered an even bigger range of problems, including complete outages of hot and cold water; plug sockets and phone points with no wiring behind them, and incoming moisture because of faulty seals on windows.
Gabriela Boeing, who has lived in a shared-ownership fifth-floor flat in the same development for nearly six years, says as well as issues with leaking water, she and other residents have had longstanding problems with mice. She initially called in a pest control company who told her the creatures were getting into her flat through a “a big hole in the kitchen that they said was because of bad construction”.
In 2013, she received an email from One Housing’s home ownership adviser claiming : “I have had had no other complaints regarding mice at Suttons Wharf South.” Boeing says she knew of at least two other residents who had raised the same problem, which reflects a common theme in a lot of residents’ accounts: One Housing allegedly responding to complaints by claiming they are unique to a particular flat and therefore the resident’s responsibility, when residents know the issues in question are being widely experienced.
One Housing did not directly answer this point, but told the Guardian “we have robust structures in place to monitor incoming reports and complaints ”.
Musguin strikes a rather different tone. “No one calls the repairs line now,” she says. “There’s no point.”