Nine months after Storm Eunice ripped off sections of the roof on her apartment block, Elizabeth Winstantley still cannot return home. Still paying the mortage, she's among residents facing a £300,000 bill to fix the roof after being told they're not insured.
As reported by the Manchester Evening News, some of those living in the 24 flats at the Orban apartments in Whalley Range in Manchester have lived with the damage covered by tarp and plastic since February 19. But two flats were left uninhabitable and others were exposed to water damage.
Elizabeth was left homeless as her top floor flat was so badly damaged by the roof’s collapse. Between February and September, she was forced to move between her mum and partner’s, sometimes even sleeping in her car.
She was eventually provided with temporary accommodation in September. But she told the M.E.N she is "fearful" for the future.
“It has affected every aspect of my life, including my personal relationships and mental health,” she said. “I have had to see the doctor frequently, I’ve had to take a serious amount of time off work which I have never done before.
“The anger and the frustration is constantly there. I go through phases of being distraught and upset and utterly lost.
“It’s probably the worst thing that could happen to you, apart from someone close to you dying. You constantly feel like a burden to people because you need somewhere to stay.”
And she says she now has no savings left after eight months of living a "nightmare". It was her first home and everything went into it, she said, adding: "But now, I have nothing left.”
Surveyor reports carried out in the months since the storm have revealed the roof was built with an "inherent defect", which means leaseholders are unable to claim insurance and will have to pay for the repairs themselves. Quotes for the repairs are around £290,000 and residents have been left wondering how the "defect" could have gone unnoticed.
In an email to leaseholders, property management services Firstport said they had been "unable to access" the roof for inspections - something they did not deny when the M.E.N contacted them for comment. But it is claimed they did not answer when asked when the last close-up inspection of the roof had taken place.
A spokesperson said they are "very sorry" for delays to the building repairs. And they "are working to ensure that an appropriate permanent solution is put in place as soon as possible."
The M.E.N was reportedly shown documents where Thomasons, an independent construction consultancy, was brought in by the insurers to assess the claim. It concluded "the primary reason for the failure of the timber decking" relates to "the lack of ventilation within the roof structure", which had been "ongoing for several years" and was "a result of the poor design of the roof".
“Thomasons specifically advise that in their opinion, had the decking been in a sound condition prior to this incident, it would not have occurred,” the report reads. Footage of a Zoom meeting between residents and surveyor Tony Mathews, who was brought in by Sedgwick's loss adjustors, shows him remarking that walking on the roof felt like his feet were ‘sinking into Weetabix’.
The apartments were built in 2009 by Crosby Lendlease, now known as Lendlease. They told the M.E.N they had not had involvement in the property for over a decade. Aviva, the owners, declined to comment.
Tenants and leaseholders at five properties told the MEN there was water damage and alleged that this could have been avoided if Firstport had acted to repair the roof quicker. Landlord Alex, who bought a flat at Orban in 2011 but rents it out, said he believes the "whole building is in danger" due to spreading water damage.
“There is that much water going through the building,” he said. “It needs to be sorted, and urgently. It’s not our fault, but it is our problem.”
Firstport say that they are taking steps to install a waterproof polyethylene film solution to the roof, which should halt further water ingress. But Alex says he is "scared" of the prospect of the permanent roof repairs continuing to be delayed.
“I am sick to the back teeth of Firstport not doing what they need to do. It’s a horrendous situation,” he told the M.E.N.
“It really is just absolutely sickening that you buy something in good faith, and this happens. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to survey the roof.”
Leaseholders at the flats have been asked to pay upwards of £3,000 each - a total of approximately £80,000 - to Firstport in an unexpected "service charge" that the building managers say will go towards the cost of permanent roof repairs. It is understood that tenants will have to pay the money upfront before the management seeks recovery of the costs through legal action.
Lendlease told the M.E.N they are not aware of any legal action. A spokesperson said: “We are sorry to hear of the issues facing leaseholders at Alexandra Road following storms in February.
“A member of the public contacted us earlier this year to request information regarding the original roof and design guarantees, which we’ve provided to them. But we’re not aware of any legal action regarding the building and have not had any other enquiries. We’re not the building owner and have had no involvement at Alexandra Road for well over a decade.”
A spokesperson for Firstport said: “We are very sorry for the delays at Orban House, and we understand residents’ frustrations. The permanent roof works for Orban House are complicated by the presence of an inherent defect and has required input from a number of parties.
"We are working to ensure that an appropriate permanent solution is put in place as soon as possible. We are in regular contact with residents and will continue to support them as and where we can until the roof issue is resolved.
“Leaseholders will not be required to pay for any of the temporary repairs that have been carried out to the existing roof nor the making good of water damage within affected flats.”
