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Restored estate
• YOUR report states that there have been “leaks” from plastic-coated roofs on the Spa Green estate, one of which caused a leak in resident Margaret Tole’s flat (£6m repairs to estate spark an ‘avalanche of complaints’, October 26).
There was in fact only one roof leak, which is being addressed, and this was not in Mrs Tole’s block. The leak in her flat is completely unconnected with any building work and was coming from an adjoining property. We are working on the problem after we were called in by the tenant management organisation (TMO).
With regard to the panels covering pipes and cabling, we accept there is a problem with access and have arranged a meeting with the TMO to look at how to improve this to make daily maintenance easier. After this, we may ask the contractor to go back and rectify the panelling.
The overall work has now been finished, English Heritage has approved the restoration, and it has significantly improved the standard of the estate.
The scale of the work that had to be carried out and the fact that the estate is listed have meant that leaseholders are facing larger bills than is usual. This is a problem common to leaseholders across London, particularly in conservation areas or buildings of historic interest.
It should also be made clear that internal works, such as new bathrooms and kitchens, only affect tenants, and leaseholders do not contribute to the cost of the work in tenants’ flats, only for work on the structure of the building and common areas.
Like all local authority housing providers, we are required to re-charge leaseholders for their share of the work.We understand this causes difficulties for many leaseholders and we have worked with the council to offer a range of options to help leaseholders pay their bills.
We have also signed up an independent organisation, CHAS, to provide leaseholders with financial advice and support.
JOHN PHILIIPS
Director of property services Homes for Islington
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