Estate News

15-10-04 18:58

Feisty Leaseholders' Meeting

Passions boiled over at the latest meeting, with LBTH accused of expensive, shoddy and unplanned work on Adrian Boult House ...

The consultation meeting on 14th October was full of new faces, many of whom had come to complain about their treatment at the hands of Tower Hamlets Council.

This was yet another demonstation of the frustration residents feel at the Council's (mis?)management of the estate over the years.

Leaseholders are particularly angry about this, because they find their blocks getting run down for an indefinite period, which is quite in accordance with their leases, which, as with many government contracts are based on the principle that the Council can do or not do more or less anything. On the other hand, leaseholders are compelled to pay for whatever work the council chooses to do, and don't have any choice about their obligations.

In the case of Adrian Boult House the complaint was that work had been carried out in a shoddy way. Not only that, it wasn't based on a proper survey, so no sooner had one lot of improvements been carried out, than the roof had to be replaced - so leaseholders got to pay for scaffolding to be erected twice.

People had been compaining about damp penetration for years, but the council's experts had told them it was due to condensation.

At times it was difficult for the meeting - which was actually supposed to be about negotiating with THCH to ensure that this sort of thing doesn't happen - to proceed.

The ESG has been working with THCH for 18 months now. We have found them to be flexible in meeting our requests.

Amongst other things they have agreed is that leaseholders who have had their windows replaced will not be charged for window replacement if this is part of the general upgrade of their building.

Leaseholders in Adrian Boult House have all been charged equally for the replacement of windows, even if their own windows were not replaced.

In addition THCH have made it clear that they will not be doing unnecessary work: if your block is in relatively good condition, they will have less work, or even no work, to do.

And all blocks will be upgraded to a state which will leave them needing only on-going maintenance for the next 30 years - maintenance which they will be budgetting to carry out as part of the business plan.