I live in 'horrible' Borden Court and no one agrees who my landlord even is

A man is furious after claimed he lived in a flat with leaks and overflowing bins for a year. Umang Saxena, 25, is a masters student in Liverpool. When he found a place on a university course in the city last year, he scrambled to find somewhere to stay.

Umang found Borden Court on London Road in the city centre and paid £4,500 in rent up front. He claims he has had to deal with numerous issues since moving in.

Inspired Property Management (IPM) is the appointed property manager of Borden Court, responsible for the day to day maintenance of the building. X1 and Urban Evolution deal with lettings in the building. Umang’s tenancy was with X1 and he says it is now with Urban Evolution.

When contacted about these claims, a spokesperson for IPM said the firm had been in touch with Umang and added they had written to BC Owners 2 Limited, which it claimed was Umang’s landlord, about their responsibilities for the property.

Umang claims his problems with the property began immediately. He told the ECHO: “The first time I moved into this room, all my drawers were broken. The cabinet beneath my sink was broken completely. My mattress was torn apart - literally it was in two pieces and there were springs coming out of my mattress.

“There was no shower for six months. The showers were not working, the stove, the electrical stove that we have to cook, it was not working at all, the washing machine was not working. I used to go to the gym to take a shower.”

Umang claims he complained repeatedly to IPM and X1 but claims nobody responded to him. When Urban Evolution took over his tenancy, he said the shower was fixed, but other problems have remained.

He says leaks are commonplace in the building. Umang said: “Every time it rains, or it pours, my walls start getting wet.

“I do my part time job along with my university studies. I work nights in the casino. I came back at seven in the morning once. The whole floor was flooded. I could not sleep till 11.30am. Water was dripping from the ceiling. How can somebody sleep in this scenario?”

He claims rubbish is often left uncollected in the building, meaning Umang has to take regular trips to shops in London Road and ask them to dispose of it. He also says the door to the building is unlocked, which has meant his parcels have been stolen and strangers have taken to using the building to take drugs.

Although his tenancy expired this month, he feels he should receive compensation for problems he says he has had to deal with. Umang said: “I've not got even a single penny back from them as a compensation, nothing. And I've been filing complaints and complaints and complaints."

When the ECHO visited the property last week, the front door was unlocked, no staff were present, the post boxes were unlocked, the stairs were damaged, flies swarmed around the bins and the ceilings on the top floor were stained with apparent water damage.

A spokesperson for IPM said in a statement: “We are in contact with the individual and will be closely monitoring the performance of the cleaning contractor.

“Following requests from investor leaseholders, an additional independent roof survey has been carried out, and we hope to be in a position to progress the roof project in due course. We have written to BC Owners 2 Limited, the individual’s landlord, to remind them of their responsibilities and to urgently address any repairs required for their property.”

Urban Evolution meanwhile argued IPM are responsible for helping resolve Umang’s issues. BC Owners 2 Limited’s address on Companies House is listed as being on the third floor of Urban Evolution’s Liverpool office. However, a spokesperson for Urban Evolution was not aware of the company and insisted the firm is Umang’s landlord.

They added: “The items listed by Umang are all items which fall under the responsibility of IPM. IPM receives service charge contributions for the maintenance of the clusters, kitchens and bathrooms.

“In the cluster that Umang lives only Urban Evolution, at a cost to us, have repaired the two showers, hob and oven."

The spokesperson added its staff have highlighted what they claimed was "mismanagement" by IPM to Liverpool City Council. They argued Urban Evolution staff have worked to repair the roof and keep the building clean, areas which they claim should be IPM’s responsibility.

In a further statement in response to this, IPM said: "Urban Evolution Property Management Ltd is appointed as letting agent by BC Owners 2 Ltd, the leasehold owner and is responsible for maintaining this apartment. It is not unusual for a leaseholder to have their correspondence address registered as their letting agent. However, these two roles and relationships are quite different and have different responsibilities.

"With regard to the maintenance and management of the building, IPM is responsible for maintaining the communal areas and arranges maintenance. As previously confirmed, IPM is not responsible for the apartments (bedrooms) since these are the responsibility of the Leaseholders themselves. The basis of the original complaint refers to the bedroom areas and this is a matter that should have been addressed by either Urban Evolution as letting agent for BC Owners 2 Ltd, the leaseholder and landlord of the individual.

"As this development is classed as a High-Rise Building, IPM have an open dialogue with Liverpool City Council and Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service where this is an open channel of communications as we do with all relevant fire services for such buildings within our portfolio.

"IPM are not aware that any roof works have been completed by or on behalf of Urban Evolution. Consent has not been sought or approved for any works to roof areas, either by Urban Evolution or their contractors. Any works to the roof would require an appropriate health and safety risk assessment and approvals."

A spokesperson for X1 said: “We want to clarify that X1 does not manage the Borden Court building or its communal areas, which are the responsibility of IPM. However we have repeatedly requested updates and remedial actions from IPM concerning the issues raised by residents.

“In addition, we have reached out to a senior enforcement officer at Liverpool City Council, requesting their assistance in holding IPM accountable.

“We have met with the officer onsite to show them the conditions in the building and our understanding is that the council is now trying to make contact with IPM to assist in resolving the issues at this development. Our primary concern remains the well-being and safety of tenants and we will continue to advocate for the necessary improvements.”

A spokesperson for Liverpool City Council said: “The council’s Private Sector Housing team is aware of the issues at Borden Court. We are currently investigating the building’s condition as well as the overall management of the premises.”

The ECHO has reported on Borden Court previously. In January, a couple claimed they were desperate to leave their “horrible” apartment with crumbling ceilings and melted sockets. In April, IPM were criticised for the lack of action regarding roof repairs.

IPM has stated its commitment to maintaining the building to a high standard and that bedroom maintenance is the responsibility of each individual leaseholder and not IPM. A spokesperson claimed in April that the process for carrying out extensive repairs was underway.