Tenants claim issues with the lift, lack of hot water, and mould have been ongoing for years
The treatment of tenants by the management of a housing association building in North London has been described as “absolutely disgusting”, with some disrepair issues having been on-going for years. The local Brent councillor has said the situation “cannot continue” and has demanded an urgent meeting with the leadership team to remedy the concerns.
Residents of Bigler Court in Alperton have accused housing association L&Q of “neglecting to fix issues in a timely manner” after repeatedly raising concerns about lift failures, heating and hot water outages, flooding incidents, and security.
Many of the issues have been left unresolved for years, with complaints about the lift dating back to before 2020. This has meant residents have been unable to attend urgent medical appointments or visit relatives – leaving some feeling imprisoned in their own home.
Marguerite Earlington, 72, has lived in the building since 2011 but described L&Q as “the worst housing association I have ever experienced”. She suggested that the treatment of tenants is “neglectful and inhumane”.
Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS), Ms Earlington, said: “L&Q has neglected to fix issues in a timely manner, leaving us without proper security and without a lift for months [at a time] over the years. […] I have been stuck on the 9th floor with no help and ability to use the lift. I have a heart condition and when [it] breaks I am imprisoned in my flat.”
Geeta Patel, 62, who has also lived at Bigler Court since 2011, said the lift is “constantly out of service” but claimed L&Q has been “unhelpful on all levels”. She wants the management team to follow up properly when complaints are made and communicate better with tenants.
Ms Patel told the LDRS: “With the lift not working on so many occasions and for long periods, I’ve not been able to go out to attend appointments [or] visit relatives and at the moment I’ve been placed in a hotel for nearly three months. It’s still not fixed properly, with neighbours getting stuck in there on three occasions.”
Alongside problems with the lift, residents have complained about not having hot water for weeks at a time, leaks, parcels being stolen because the main door was broken, and no ventilation for two years. Lahcen Halli, 56, described having to go to the gym to shower, being unable to do a big shop when the lift isn’t working, and damp and mould forming in his flat due to inadequate ventilation.
Mr Halli said: “It’s absolutely disgusting how they treat their residents, no empathy or care at all for those who live here. They’re more than happy to increase our service charges but when we actually need improvements or fixes they suddenly disappear.
“We need new people working there who actually fight for us and don’t just leave our complaints to gather dust on their desks. It would be nice to know that people care about us.”
Ward councillor, Anton Georgiou, has written to the management team at L&Q regarding the “ongoing and unacceptable” situation. The letter highlights residents experiencing “the same problems time and again” but claims they have “little confidence” that they are being resolved.
Cllr Georgiou added: “The stories coming from residents are deeply concerning. People have been left for months without reliable heating or hot water, repairs repeatedly fail to resolve issues, and the lift has been out of service for extended periods.
“In recent days, two residents became trapped in the left despite assurances that repair works had been completed. The ongoing situation is having a serious impact on residents’ physical and mental wellbeing. Many feel ignored, exhausted, and badly let down.”
The letter also notes that the housing officer responsible for the block has failed to respond to previous correspondence from councillors and wants residents’ concerns addressed “before they escalate”.
Cllr Georgiou is calling on L&Q to carry out a full review of any outstanding repairs and maintenance issues at the block, provide clear timetables for resolving the works, and improve communication and engagement with residents moving forwards.
Executive Group Director of Property and Investment at L&Q, David Lewis, said: “The heating, hot water system and lift are back up and running, and we’ve been working to address security issues as a priority.We are looking at ways to improve the reliability of the communal heating system in the long-term, including upgrading the existing heat network. We’re also investigating the recent lift outage to prevent further disruption.
“We recognise the concerns raised by the local councillor and will keep them and residents updated as work progresses, offering support to those affected.”
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