pamplemousse
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71 Posts
We have a maintenance company that is supposed to manange and maintain the building in which myflat is located. It is one of the biggest maintenance companies in the UK (Bigwood) yet it consistently fails to maintain the building.
As a result of Bigwood not attending to clearing gutterings despite frequent requests and reminders, my tenant's timber windows have fallen into major and dangerous disrepair. This is due to rain water flowing freely down the outside walls, especially during the very bad weather earlier this year. The windows have to be in timber due to conservation area regulations. After reminders, Bigwood have done maintenance to the guttering at the back of the house but have never attended to the front guttering. The requests and reminders about this guttering at the front have been going on for over six months, both by ourselves and the letting agents. I am getting the windows repaired by a craftsman but the problem will still arise if outside maintenance isn't completed and done on a regular basis. There have been health and danger to person issues to vulnerable tenants arising from this. I pay a hefty maintenance fee twice a year.
The window restorer has taken photos and videos of the damage to the windows, which he has put up on youtube. The videos clearly show the damage, the still-blocked guttering and the very shabby state of the exterior walls generally (due in great part to water flowing down freely).
Bigwood have stated that as the issue wasn't reported at an earlier stage by the tenant, that we cannot get any compensation. Yet the guttering issue has been reported many times over the last year and it is surely Bigwood's job to inspect and maintain regularly?
I seek advice. What recourse do I have against this maintenance company? Should I report it to the Environmental Health dept? Should I go to the local press with the pictures?
