Greenwich woman living in council flat has 'holes in kitchen'

Sarah Saitch, 49, moved into Ellison House on the Orchard Estate with her husband 14 years ago.

The resident claims that for the past 10 years, people living in the Orchard and Coldbath estates have experienced numerous housing problems including mould, pests,  and water damage.

Sarah Saitch's flat

She told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “About five years ago, there was a leak coming down the building and it was coming nearly every day from the 12th floor… We had a mould wash and I had a cupboard up there that I had to throw out because it was warped and damaged.”

She added: “The issue is that because there was so much water coming down here, [the wall] is damaged.

"You can poke holes in it. [Greenwich Council] came around to assess this just before Christmas, and they said it was a repair that didn’t need to happen.”

• TRENDING: TfL London 20mph scheme slammed and branded 'nonsense'

Ms Saitch said water damage is a common problem for homes on the estates, with the smell of mould “taking your breath away” in some flats.

As a member of the tenants and residents association for the flats, as well as running the estate’s Neighbourhood Watch group, Ms Saitch often finds herself as a spokesperson for residents when reporting the conditions of the buildings.

Ms Saitch said communication has been a real battle

The resident claims issues on the estate began in 2012 after Greenwich Council carried out a large update on the kitchens and heaters in the flats, which she said later led to pests such as mice and cockroaches.

She said: “They didn’t really do it properly, they’ve left gaps. So then we had more pests that were coming in.

"But also the mould then became an issue because people can’t afford to have the heating on all the time.”

Ms Saitch said the mould in her flat comes back “with a vengeance” every winter after getting the council to remove it during the springtime.

The resident claims another vent was meant to be added to her flat several years ago, but that the installation never happened.

She added: “For the last 10 years the repairs have been just going downhill to the point where, my personal feeling is that, Covid was used as an excuse.

"Obviously, they couldn’t come into people’s flats. But the problem started way before that. This is historic. This is not a recent issue.”

Regarding issues in Ellison House, a Greenwich Council spokesperson told the LDRS: “Extensive works to address the issues in Ms Saitch’s home will be carried out by a specialist contractor, beginning on April 24.

"We are also installing a new door and entry system to Ms Saitch’s block, and all tower blocks on the estate, and our Safer Streets team will continue to patrol the whole estate to prevent anti-social behaviour.”

Ms Saitch sent a petition to Greenwich Council last year, asking for a more prompt response from the repairs team – after a council newsletter said improvements to its repairs programme could take until 2026 to finish.

In response, Labour Councillor Pat Slattery, cabinet member for housing, said at a Greenwich Council meeting on February 23: “The bulk of these repairs and improvements will be delivered by the end of four years, but they’re already being delivered now.”

The councillor also said that the waiting time when reporting repairs to the council had been reduced since last November.

Despite improvements to the council’s phone service, Ms Saitch said she has seen little action on the estate’s issues.

She said: “At the moment, it’s timescales. It’s doing things in a reasonable timeframe.

"We had a problem with our toilet before Christmas. So they came and they had to empty the cistern. So we had to flush our toilet for six weeks with a bucket. That’s unreasonable.

"If I was 80 years old, I wouldn’t have been able to manage to do that.”

Ms Saitch said that she isn’t trying to wage war on the council, but has described the journey to seek repairs in the building as a “real battle”.

She said: “Even as a resident, if you ring the repairs line, they’re really rude. And you feel like you should be grateful for any sort of help, which is wrong.

"We’re people, we’re tenants, we’re residents. We pay our rent, we pay our council tax. Why shouldn’t we have a decent repairs service?”

A Greenwich Council spokesperson told the LDRS: “As one of the largest social housing providers in London, we believe that everybody has the right to a safe, secure and good quality home.”

The spokesperson said action is already being taken on the disrepair issues in the Orchard Estate.

They said the results of two independent, in-depth surveys are being reviewed to find the source of the damp issues and how to address the problem in the long term.

They added: “We remain committed to improving housing conditions across Royal Greenwich – including addressing issues of damp and mould, which we take extremely seriously. And we continue to lobby the government for funding to invest in existing council homes and build more housing.”