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Eugen Hockejos" 'My kitchen is totally unusable' |
Home repairs that turned into ‘two-year nightmare’
Ex-builder finds 180 faults, including a garden tap which gushes hot water
A FORMER builder is refusing to allow a council repairs team back into his home because he claims they have made too many mistakes.
He says that a plumbing problem has resulted in boiling water pouring from his garden hose, which is connected to an outside tap.
Eugen Hockenjos wants to appoint his own team of workmen to carry out much-needed repairs to his listed home in Batchelor Street, Angel.
Improvements to his three-bedroom home, which involve modernising the bathroom and kitchen, should have taken two months.
But two years later, Mr Hockenjos and the privatised Partners for Improvement in Islington are still in dispute over the quality of work. His complaints have resulted in 14,000 pieces of correspondence, including 1,000 emails.
Mr Hockenjos alleges the original work was not up to standard, particularly the plumbing and electrics.
He says that fire officers have warned him not to use his gas oven because of a wiring problem.
“It is bad enough having hot water gushing out of my garden tap, but I’ve estimated about 180 other defects,” he added.
He claims workmen contracted by Partners disregarded health and safety rules and could not understand basic plans.
“I’ve experienced a nightmare for two years involving some 80 people,” he added. “My kitchen is totally unusable and the electrics do not meet many of the regulations.”
The original plan was to carry out basic repairs, rewire the house, upgrade the central heating and modernise the bathroom and kitchen.
“Prior to the work starting, there were 18 preparatory meetings,” he added. “When they started, they left nails all over the place and made basic mistakes. For example, we can’t reach shelves in the kitchen, which make them unusable.”
Mr Hockenjos now has his own consultant, who he wants to supervise any new work carried out by Partners.
Homes for Islington – the umbrella organisation behind Partners – said it had received a complaint from Mr Hockenjos.
A spokesman said: “He has met our chief executive, Eamon McGoldrick, to discuss the problems he says he has had.
“We have agreed with him to review the information he has provided, to check whether there is evidence for his complaints and to write to him in the next week.”
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