A South London woman whose husband died of cancer while waiting for repairs to be made to their home, claimed leaks cut out the electricity for the property every time it rained for three years.
Verica, who did not wish to give her surname, moved into her home in Deacons Leas in Orpington last July with her husband Dragan, who moved in seven years ago.
The 54-year-old claimed that for three years, the leaks in her bungalow would be so bad that the electricity in the building would be cut for up to a day at a time.
Verica told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “The water was leaking through here, and that’s why the electric was going out.
"Then you have to wait maybe a couple of hours, or even more, to dry the wire… This last autumn was quite bad, there were heavy rains and it could last for a day.
"For a whole day, I would be without electricity.”
The resident said the power cuts would affect everything in the house while she cared for her husband, who died earlier this year.
Verica said Dragan contacted Southern Housing last July to be moved out of the property on health grounds, but claim they were told by the association that they needed to go through Bromley Council to be rehoused.
Since then, the resident said she and her husband were offered a property in Sydenham and later Penge, but refused as rents were too high and Verica would not be able to look after Dragan in a studio flat.
She said: “How can, in their craziest mind, someone offer such a property to a person who is already ill living here and staying for so long, which he shouldn’t in his condition, and even offered him a studio for himself without me as a carer?”
A Bromley Council spokesperson told the LDRS that the council assessed the housing needs of Verica and Dragan within two days of their application last year, and took action to try and fix the current situation.
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The resident said she feels the “unhealthy” and “unsafe” condition of the property and the stress it caused Dragan may have contributed to his poor health.
She said: “This [place] is not for humans. As a human, you have to have a decent place to live.
"Normal, clean, airy, peaceful. He couldn’t find this here. It’s completely unacceptable. That’s what it is, that’s a true story. And then he died quite soon after that, so it brought him a huge distress.”
Verica added: “The problem was here because the roof is rotten.
"The roof is caved in because of holes and cracks, so the structure is already affected. This needs a huge rebuild.”
A Southern Housing spokesperson, the housing association responsible for the property, told the LDRS: “We carried out a repair to the roof of the property following [Verica’s] initial report in October last year.
"The resident missed several follow-up visits from our surveyor.
"But on February 9 the resident confirmed to us the roof issues were resolved and she’d experienced no more leaks.”
Verica claims the unfurnished floors in the bungalow have rotted from leaks, with a lack of insulation also forcing her to constantly wear her coat inside to keep warm.
She said: “Every second day, I’m paying £20 [for heating]. I’m taking food out of my mouth, not eating, but I have to do this because I would be freezing.”
The resident said she was also worried about her safety from the front door of her house being insecure.
She said: “I feel unsafe, and with regards to the door, it’s hanging loose. So I’m so vulnerable in that mind. I feel very much vulnerable because I fear [people] breaking in.”
Verica is now hoping to be moved from the Orpington property given its condition and the reminders of her late husband.
She said: “Every further day I’m staying here it’s getting worse on my health… Where is the end of this agony? Who’s going to solve this? Do I need to be quiet and wait to die?”
A Southern Housing spokesperson told the LDRS: “Our surveyor visited [Verica] while attending a neighbouring property and noted staining to the ceiling, wall and floor, some of which was caused by a roof leak.”
The spokesperson said the roofing contractor for the association visited the property on February 22 to investigate the leak problem further, and that they were due to return on March 11.
They said: “We’ll carry out a post inspection following these works to check if the stained areas have dried and raise any additional repairs where needed.
“We want to support [Verica] to resolve the issues she has raised, and we’ll be contacting her to discuss the options available to her.”
A Bromley Council spokesperson said: “An offer of a new home has now been discussed with the resident in this sensitive case, which we hope will mean she is soon able to relocate. We understand that this has been a very difficult time for the resident and we continue to offer our condolences.”
They added: “While any repairs required to the property are the responsibility of the housing association, we look to support this where necessary and continued to work with them during the search for alternative housing for the resident.
"Prior to the current property being considered, we had already looked at three potential alterative homes with the resident that unfortunately, for various reasons, did not work out. We now hope the current discussion will quickly lead to the resident being settled in a new home.”
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