A mum says she is afraid her house is “falling down on top of her” after she was left with gaping holes in her ceilings when asbestos was discovered.
When Sharon Robinson, 55, bought her first floor flat in Bebington near Liverpool in 2019 for £69,000 she was hoping for a fresh start. Instead she was left with a dismantled kitchen in her bedroom and her clothes in suitcases because of the damp with fibreglass insulation foam falling out of her ceilings, she said.
Mum-of-two Sharon bought the flat on a leasehold with the Regenda Group. When she found a leak in her kitchen ceiling in January this year, she reported the problem to the housing company.
She told the Liverpool Echo: "I had rainwater coming through the light fittings, and rainwater and electricity don't mix. I complained to Regenda about that, and somebody came out, went into my loft and said there's a massive hole in the roof that needs fixing. They sent an emergency electrician out to check the kitchen light, and he said there was not much they could do until the ceiling was fixed."
Sharon bought the flat on a leasehold with the Regenda Group (Andrew Teebay Liverpool Echo)
When she found a leak in her kitchen ceiling in January this year, she reported the problem to the housing company (Andrew Teebay Liverpool Echo)The mum of two said she reported what happened to Regenda, and necessary ceiling repairs in several different rooms were finally arranged to take place in April, three months after she first reported the problem. However, when a surveyor from her insurance company was later called in to inspect the damage, she said they took samples from the ceilings which tested positive for asbestos.
Europe's worst pickpocketing hotspot named as street in Spain loved by tourists
She said: "Three of my ceilings have had to come down because of asbestos, and I've been left with just fibreglass in the ceiling. There's an old wasp's nest and cladding falling down.
"My kitchen cupboards all got ruined by the damp, so they had to come down. All my clothes are in my suitcases, my kitchen things are in my living room, my kitchen units are in my bedroom. I've got no ceilings at the front at all. I'm scared my house is falling down on top of me. It's horrendous. Absolutely appalling."
Samples from the ceilings tested positive for asbestos (Liverpool echo)She said she had complained about the asbestos to Regenda. However, a Regenda Group spokesman said the company was only responsible for the external maintenance of the building - and so any internal issues were Sharon's responsibility.
They said: "Mrs. Robinson owns her own home within a Regenda owned block of flats. In Mrs. Robinson’s case, Regenda is responsible for the external maintenance of the building only. Following the report of a leak, roof repairs were completed in April 2024. We carried out a further inspection of the roof in May 2024 and can confirm that no further works are required.
"As a homeowner, Mrs Robinson is responsible for internal repairs within her home, including the reinstatement of her ceilings and any asbestos removal. Mrs Robinson is awaiting completion of these works by an external maintenance company, appointed by her home insurance policy. Whilst these repairs are outside of Regenda’s control, we have offered our assistance to help expedite the process with the insurance company."
Read more similar news:
Comments:
comments powered by Disqus
