Residents in a tower block have said they feel scared to leave their homes due to antisocial behaviour.
The residents of the 27 Enterprise Way in Wandsworth, London said they do not believe Southern Housing, their housing association, is doing enough to maintain safety. Residents complained the block is not properly cleaned and the communal garden has been locked for some time.
They told the (LDRS) that there have been incidents of people smoking in communal areas, fights, burning carpets, playing loud music, setting fire to plastic bottles, and even dog poo left on the stairs. In response, Southern Housing said it takes the concerns of residents seriously.
People have been smoking in communal areas (Charlotte Lillywhite)The housing association added that it is visiting the block regularly and that an antisocial behaviour officer is managing complaints. A meeting is also due at the end of the month for residents to raise any further issues and to update them on progress. But residents remain unconvinced.
Elisa Mbuanda, 56, told MyLondon: "I have to have someone in the house because sometimes, when I'm on my own, I'm so scared being here." Elisa added that she felt "neglected in every way."
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Renée Allman, who moved into the block in 2018, said that "The filth of the block is the worst thing.” She added: "It's depressing, and the vandalism."
Natasha Johnson, 43, in front of the locked communal garden at 27 Enterprise Way (Charlotte Lillywhite)Renée also said: "It's stressful for me. The place is constantly filthy, they've got people that vandalise the whole block, they've burnt the carpets... they're fighting… [Southern Housing is] not managing the block, they're not ensuring our safety, they're not ensuring our wellbeing, our children's wellbeing, our children's safety, they know what's going on… they're just not pushing it. They're not doing enough and they don't care about the state of this block."
Natasha Johnson, 43, said: "My floor is a hazard… there's graffiti all over the walls, there's bikes in the communal areas, it's just horrible. Sometimes I feel sick just even walking in my communal area." She added that a neighbour felt unsafe to the point where they have gone to stay with family, while her own eldest daughter feels too scared to leave the flat.
Natasha also said: "We want to see action and we're not getting that action... it's unfair. We shouldn't have to live like this… Why should we have to live in a place where we're scared to go out, we're scared to do different stuff? It's not fair. We should be able to walk freely.”
Southern Housing has said it will replace the lift in the block next year, but has not yet confirmed date for when it will happen. The association also said there had only been one report of the lift breaking down since March this year and it was an issue that was resolved that same day.
'We've a zero-tolerance approach to antisocial behaviour,' Souther Housing said (Charlotte Lillywhite)A spokesperson said: “We've a zero-tolerance approach to antisocial behaviour (ASB) in our homes and we've recently taken court action against a family at Enterprise Way. This resulted in a possession order being obtained and we've applied to the courts for an eviction warrant.
"We're carrying out regular visits to the estate to ensure the safety of our residents and we've a dedicated ASB officer who manages reports of ASB from residents on this estate. They work very closely with other partners and our legal team to ensure appropriate actions are taken. We continue to encourage residents to report criminal-related activities directly to the police.
Residents have said they don't feel heard (Charlotte Lillywhite)"Since November last year we've been taking action to deal with residents at Enterprise Way who have dogs in their homes as this is a breach of their tenancy agreement. Further inspections are planned in the coming weeks, and we'll take legal enforcement action if needed. Any reports of dog faeces in communal areas are treated as an emergency, meaning our teams are on site to carry out a thorough clean on the same day. We've also arranged for extra cleaning visits to the block as required."
Southern Housing said it will make improvements at the block and keep residents informed. The association added: "The second-floor garden remains closed due to residents throwing items from higher floors. This has impacted the safety of contractors when accessing this area to clean, resulting in cleaning being suspended.
"We're mindful of our resident safety if we were to reopen the garden and we're taking action against individuals impacting our services and residents. We'll reopen the garden area as soon as it is safe to do so."
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