A resident of Applegarth House in Erith has hit out at housing managers Orbit Housing after a number of issues with his flat “haven’t been resolved for more than a year”.

The resident’s partner moved in to the flat in 2012, and he moved in to join her around five years ago.

They have three children and the family-of-five live together in the two-bedroom Applegarth House accommodation.

The resident, who wishes to remain anonymous, said he first reported issues with the flat’s ceiling to Orbit Housing in June 2020, following a flood in the flat above of him.

He explained that the leak then continued until last December, causing an “awful lot of damage” and “ridiculous” damp to their flat.

The family were put into a hotel while the issues from the leak were resolved – but the resident said that this was “not suitable” for his family because he has an autistic son.

He told the News Shopper: “We were in a hotel for three or four days but my son is autistic so he can’t go down to have dinner at the restaurant and we couldn’t eat in our room.

“Then Orbit had tantrums because we wanted to go back home – but it was December 10 and we didn’t want to spend Christmas or the top end of Christmas in a hotel either.

“That was only the beginning, but it’s gone past that now and I’m really frustrated.”

News Shopper:

Orbit Housing has said it is aware of a number of issues affecting customers at Applegarth House.

The company said that on July 8, Orbit representatives visited the residency with a contractor to liaise with customers and discuss the issues.

The company added: “We are working closely with our contractor to rectify them as soon as possible.”

The resident told the News Shopper that the leak had caused such “ridiculous” amounts of damp that his daughter has had health problems as a result.

He said she had to go to hospital because of “something similar to a really bad asthma attack because of the damp.”

He added: “They now keep saying they’re going to do a damp assessment but that was actually going to happen originally in 2018 and it’s now 2021 and no one has come out yet.

“The floor tiles have crumbled away in the hallway, and in April we even had to get an independent company to come because the ceiling was falling down and every time I get through to the Orbit switchboard we get told their system is updating.

“It was only last week the housing manager texted a job reference that we were supposed to have got a month ago to do with the ceilings.

“Trying to get any help from Orbit Housing is next to never and I’m always told to ring back in two days when the system has updated – then the same happens again.”

Orbit Housing said there may be “some wait times during peak hours” and that its average answer on telephone calls is “four minutes”.

The resident also expressed their concern over asbestos which he says “exists in the building because of its age”.

News Shopper:

He said: “When you open some of the cupboards there are stickers saying ‘do not disturb asbestos’ and it’s the same all round the bathrooms and back walls.

“I keep trying to ring to ask if there is asbestos or for an assessment or update on it but I just can’t get an answer.”

The lifts at Applegarth House have also been causing problems for the tenant – and one time the issues required a call to the fire brigade.

The resident added: “We’ve had up to 10 days without the use of a lift at times and it generally seems to go wrong every couple of days.

“It’s broken down around nine days after they put ‘so-called’ new software in and I had to get the fire brigade out because I was stuck in it.

“There’s even a sign in the lift which says not to call the fire brigade if it sticks, but instead to press a buzzer but when I did press the buzzer it did nothing.

“It’s like they don’t want to do the repair.”

The tenant also said he has had an ant problem “for two years” and that Orbit “want him to pay for the extermination”.

He added: “I just want them to start listening and to fix things.

“The way my children and partner are left makes it so hard and things really do affect my son with autism.

“There are so many things wrong with this flat it’s just madness - it’s not a 1920s slum.”

Orbit Housing said: “We are aware of a number of issues that are affecting customers at Applegarth House.

"On Thursday 8th July 2021, Orbit representatives visited Applegarth House with our contractor to liaise with customers to discuss these issues and we are working closely with our contractor to rectify them as soon as possible."

News Shopper:

Asbestos

"Orbit complies with all relevant legislation affecting asbestos and its management. Applegarth House has previously been determined to have asbestos present. Orbit’s current guidelines require us to manage communal asbestos through inspections which assess the condition of the property on an annual basis.

"These inspections note any changes in the condition of the building relating to the presence of, or disturbance of materials that are thought to contain asbestos. We will take immediate action to deal with it in a safe manner, including ensuring that the materials in question are safely removed. The next assessment to be carried out at Applegarth House will be in November 2021 as part of our annual inspections. These inspections are carried out by a contractor against all necessary industry standard accreditations.

"If any customers think they have damaged or disturbed asbestos in their property, they should contact Orbit without delay. If there is any need to remove asbestos containing material from their property, we will agree a plan to do so safely as per Orbit's Asbestos Management Plan."

Customer Service

"Our Customer Service Centre's opening hours are Monday to Friday, 8am to 8pm and Saturday, 8am to 1pm. Outside of these hours, we offer an emergency service so we are open to take calls 365 days a year, seven days a week and 24 hours a day.

"As with any Customer Service Centre there may some wait times during peak hours, currently our average answer on telephone calls is 4 minutes. We thank our customers for their patience.

"Orbit does have alternative contact channels of email, live chat and an automated Chatbot service all available via the main customer hub website www.orbitcustomerhub.org.uk/.

"Customers are also able to raise routine repairs via their own MyAccount web portals which is available via the customer hub website."

Leak

"We are aware of an intermittent leak having occurred in a flat on the sixth floor between July and December last year. This was caused by the property above the affected flat, which was using a water pump without seeking permission or informing Orbit. The customer in this property initially refused access to our contractors and were only granted access when we informed the customer that they were in breach of their tenancy agreement. When our contractor was allowed access, the pump was removed, and the issue was quickly resolved. The customer in the affected flat below was given temporary accommodation in a hotel provided by Orbit due to electrical damage. Once the electrics were repaired, the customer returned to their flat earlier than scheduled."

Lifts

"We are aware that there has been an ongoing issue with the lifts. Our contractor has been investigating the problem and identified software issues that have since been upgraded. This was completed on 14 July 2021 and the contractor will continue to monitor to ensure the software update has resolved the issue."

Ants

"Pharoh Ants have been identified within the building at Applegarth House. We are currently co-ordinating a building-wide treatment response with our contractor to eradicate the ants - with a Section 20 Notice being raised. Due to detailed customer consultations and legal constraints, alongside sourcing required materials to rectify the issue, the start of treatment has unfortunately been delayed and we are hopeful to begin treatment as soon as possible. We will communicate with our customers at the earliest opportunity when works can begin. With the block being mixed tenure, the costings will differ for each customer dependant on their contractual agreement. We will be communicating to customers shortly to advise on this and provide a start date."

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