Labour council ‘bankrupting’ us with ‘needless’ huge repair bill, claim homeowners

A Labour-run council has been accused of “bankrupting” homeowners and potentially making some homeless after demanding they foot part of a £1.1 million repair bill.

Twenty-five leaseholders, including nurses, midwives, teachers, social workers and the elderly, living at a Hammersmith and Fulham council block, are being asked to pay between £17,500 and £21,500 each for replacement windows – which an independent surveyor has said are not needed.

Some residents at Verulam House say the bill is equivalent to their annual salaries and will mean they end up defaulting on mortgage payments.

The council is the freeholder of the 1970s block of flats, where 25 of the 59 properties have been sold under the Right to Buy scheme.

In 2022, the council wrote to leaseholders saying they were installing scaffolding to remove cladding to meet fire regulations, a cost paid for by the Government.

They also revealed they had decided to replace uPVC windows installed 26 years ago because they were nearing “end of life”.

However, the leaseholders obtained an independent surveyor’s review which found many windows were “generally in satisfactory/good condition and in our opinion do not require replacement”.

‘Shockingly inflated’ bill

In some cases, the repair bill for minor wear and tear could cost as little as £500 to £1,000 with the windows having a remaining lifespan of 10 to 15 years, the surveyor wrote.

In response, the council insisted that it would be “a false economy… to omit properties we consider are now reaching the end of their serviceable life”.

The independent survey also concluded that the £180,000 scaffolding cost which forms part of the bill was also not necessary because experienced window contractors are usually able to work from inside.

Diego Bertoni, the chairman of the Tenants and Residents Association, said: “This Labour council is bankrupting leaseholders and costing taxpayers an exorbitant amount to replace windows that don’t need replacing.

“The charges are higher than the net salary of some key workers who live here. It could force them out of their homes.”

He added that leaseholders had repeatedly asked the council for proof that the windows had a 25-year lifespan, but had not received any documentary evidence.

“Why in a cost of living crisis, when a council has set up a team to apparently support the lowest paid, is this authority forcing some of the lowest paid in the borough to pay huge sums of money?”

Councillor Helen Rowbotham has written to the council expressing her “deep concern” about the “shockingly inflated” bill and saying many leaseholders were now considering selling their homes because they could not afford to stay.

A council spokesman said the works were part of a wider £1.4 million-a-week refurbishment programme of its homes. After a competitive tendering process an independent expert reviewed the costs to ensure it was good value for money, he added.

“We have a legal duty as a landlord to ensure our buildings are safe and kept in good repair for all residents,” the spokesman said.

“The building safety works are already being undertaken at no cost to leaseholders and they are only being requested for a 49 per cent contribution to the total costs of the work to Verulam House. To assist and support homeowners, the council offers sympathetic repayment options.”

Under the Right to Buy scheme, leaseholders are required to contribute to the costs of certain works. The council is also offering interest-free repayment plans of up to four years.