A Castlemilk tenant has been forced to live in a flat with a leaky ceiling 'for years' which was worsened by torrential rain over the weekend.
John Baillie, 54, claims the issue has not been fixed since he moved into the flat on Ardencraig Road four years ago despite his repeated calls to Glasgow Housing Association.
He first noticed rain running down the wall into the window ledge in his front bedroom he moved there in July 2017. He claims the water had rusted the window, which had to be replaced when it fell off its hinges as he tried to open it.
He explains the room had a new plasterboard ceiling installed and that the older, rotten ceiling has not been removed underneath.
The tenant also said his neighbour reported similar issues when they lived in the same property and believes it is a structural problem that has not been identified after spotting a hole in the roughcasting on the outside of the building.
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John has laid out five buckets propped up with wood to catch water pouring in: "It's dripping all over the place. It's a mess.
"I've now turned that room into my DIY/work room 'cos I can't decorate or carpet it."
He explains he has been twice visited by a roofer and scaffolding was installed outside his house for three months in 2018, with a cherrypicker used to repair the lead flashing, but the problem was never resolved.
As water began pouring in to the bedroom during the storm on Friday, he called the Housing Association and a joiner was sent to the property on Saturday, who offered to fill in the hole.
The tenant was told he would have to wait until Tuesday for the ceiling to be fully repaired.
John has a second bedroom to sleep in, but fears the problem could spread.
He said: "I've had mental health issues for 12 years. It doesn't define me anymore but I can't cope with this much longer. The stress and anxiety gives me bad acid reflux and stomach problems. It's making me ill.
"I've not ate since Thursday, I've not slept properly since Friday night. I wake up when I hear rain.
"I'm the caretaker in this block – I help other tenants with their gas problems and their garden. Castlemilk has been good to me and it helps my mental health to help others. But this time I need help. If they gave me the stuff I could do it myself.
"Fair enough it was the weekend, but they've not been much help at all. I feel totally forgotten about and ignored. No one should live like this."
A Glasgow Housing Association spokesperson said: “The severe weather over the weekend meant we experienced exceptionally high demand on our repairs and customer services.
“We arranged a repair as soon as the tenant told us he was having problems.
“Unfortunately, the continuing rainfall meant further work was needed. This was completed today – within 24 hours of him letting us know he was still having issues.
“Our repairs team has also been out to investigate the cause of the leak and will arrange for a full repair to be carried out quickly.
“Our local housing team are doing absolutely everything they can to support the tenant, including offering to redecorate the room as soon as the walls dry out.”
