Members of Swindon ACORN have rallied in support of their member Ana who had been left living with her children in cold, damp and unsafe conditions for over a year after a local housing association failed to complete overdue repairs on the property.
Members drew attention to serious damage caused by a leaking flat roof, as well as drafty and water damaged doors.
ACORN member and Stonewater tenant Ana said ‘I had been trying to get some quite basic repairs done for a year. The housing association had measured for replacement doors on several occasions. I had even been told they had been ordered, yet the work hadn’t been done. So many deadlines had been missed. The damp and gaps around the door meant that me and my kids were living in cold and unsuitable conditions. The drafty doors meant that I had been paying way above the odds for heating just to keep the house at a reasonable temperature.’
ACORN wrote to the housing association at the start of the year requesting the due repairs were made as soon as possible, and while initial attempts to make contact were ignored the pressure rose quickly and the housing association were forced to react. Within a few weeks of the campaign starting, the necessary repairs were booked in and one by one they were completed over the course of the next few months.
Following repairs the fight for compensation started. With the collective strength of her union behind her, Ana started a short period of negotiations between herself and the housing association and was rewarded with £520 compensation.
“Since being with ACORN we’ve managed to get the housing people to come out and do the jobs that needed doing. Now we have a sense of security, I can lock up at night and me and my children can feel safe.” concluded Ana.
Ed Colton, Secretary of Swindon ACORN said ‘Everyone deserves secure and safe housing, especially with the extortionate housing rates across the board for renters. This is yet another example of dodgy landlords, letting agents and housing associations who do not care about the quality of life of their tenants, even if small children are affected. These situations are becoming more and more common and the only way we can change things is by standing together, supporting each other and demanding change and better living conditions.”’
ACORN member Jon Timbrell said ‘Stonewater were well aware that repairs needed undertaking, and had sent people round on several occasions to look at the damage and measure for a new door. Unfortunately, when it came to actually fixing the property, deadlines were missed and the work remained undone for far too long. Ana is not the first Stonewater tenant we have been contacted by. In recent months, we have heard stories (and been sent pictures) of tenants left living in totally unsuitable condition, with repeated repair deadlines missed. The fact that Stonewater also missed their own self-imposed deadline to respond to our concerns is indicative of how our member had been treated throughout. Tenants are getting fed up and we hope that this case serves as a prompt for Stonewater to do the right thing and fix up their properties.’
Francis Smith, an ACORN member and sheltered housing resident joined the action in support of Ana. He said ‘When the council tried to cut wardens in sheltered housing, I contacted ACORN. Over 9 months, they fought side by side with sheltered housing tenants to force the council to reverse their decision. I’ve seen first hand what people power and an organised community can do, so i’m out here to make sure others have the housing and dignity they deserve.’
