Water pours into tenant’s flat after landlord refuses to fix leak

A tenant in Clifton has been told to leave her property if she didn’t like the water pouring into her flat from an unfixed leak.

In May this year, Elizabeth Honan and her partner had been away for the evening and came home to a flooded office.

A leak had come through the rendering in the corner of the wall and had formed a puddle on her work equipment, destroying most of the electric items.

She spoke to the upstairs neighbour to check if they had had a leak, but was told by the neighbour that had actually moved out of Elizabeth’s flat for the same reason, meaning the letting agents had known about the leak prior to them moving in.

Elizabeth has contacted her letting agents, Chappell and Matthews (who are based in Bristol, but have properties across the UK), multiple times about the leak, but they have repeatedly shifted the blame onto the elusive freeholder.

They have been “rude and abrasive,” Elizabeth said, failing to take responsibility and trying to play a blame game with her and her partner.

Chappell and Matthews even told them to move out if they didn’t like it, so Elizabeth and her partner started looking for other properties. But they have now been told they cannot leave the property until their tenancy has ended.

Bristol24/7 has attempted to contact Chappell and Matthews via email and telephone, but has not been able to get a response.

After no luck with Chappell and Matthews, Elizabeth contacted Bristol City Council, who came and identified all the risks, and followed up with the letting agents, urging them and the landlord to go forwards with repairs.

But Elizabeth said Chappell and Matthews refused, instead letting responsibility fall onto the elusive “building management” company of whom no landlord in the building has the contact details of or knowledge of their existence.

Elizabeth said the council could not follow up on the grounds of a “rogue landlord” as the responsibility had now shifted to this building management company.

The council even saw the leak as they conducted a property visit when it was raining, and could see the water coming through electricals and damaging the structure of the building itself, including the dangerous brickwork on the front of the building.

Elizabeth rents a flat on Richmond Terrace in Clifton – photo: Mia Vines Booth

Since then, Elizabeth and her partner have been going back and forth with their letting agent over whose responsibility it is to fix the leak.

“Every single time it rains, we get a massive leak come through,” she told Bristol24/7.

Elizabeth and her partner leave towels, buckets, and a dehumidifier facing the wall, which is now sagging due to the water pressure and has revealed a long crack in the rendering.

In an attempt to fix the leak, Elizabeth tried to take matters into her own hands, writing letters to the elusive freeholder and trying to contact the landlord, Michael Terrence Turner, who has a number of properties in the area.

Elizabeth and her partner have had to put down dehumidifiers, towels and pans for six months to try and avoid damp – photo: Mia Vines Booth

In the tenancy and leasehold agreement, the landlord is responsible for all brickwork and everything on the exterior of our property and the flat above.

Elizabeth believes the landlord is trying to shift responsibility so he doesn’t have to pay for scaffolding.

“It means we are left in a damp, leaky flat. Homes are meant to protect you from the weather and it doesn’t even do that.”

Both Elizabeth and her partner have also been electrocuted after touching water-soaked electrics in the room.

“I’m aware it’s a really nice flat, and there are people living in far worse conditions, but just because it’s not as bad, doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be dealt with,” she said.

Elizabeth wants to move out before winter as she is worried the leak will get worse and the damp will affect her health, but her tenancy doesn’t end until February and the letting agent won’t let her move out before then.

At the current rate of progress, Elizabeth said she just hopes Chappell and Matthews will reconsider their position and release her from the six month contract.

“They can’t keep getting away with allowing landlords to treat their tenants like this. It happens far too often,” she said.

“It feels like it’s the same everywhere in the UK. Everyone is just being screwed over.”

“It may be a pain for them at work, but they can just shut their laptop and finish at five. I am dealing with this everyday,” she added.

“You just want someone to be held accountable somewhere.”

Main photo: Mia Vines Booth

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