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Cllr Garry Doolan and Martin Rutherford look at the ‘trunking’ in the home of Sylvia Sharpe |
Bullying, or a case of crossed wires?
Tenants claim they were pressured into accepting ‘trunking’ electrical work by contractor
TENANTS are refusing to allow electrical contractors appointed by Homes for Islington (HFI) into their homes amid claims of “poor and unsightly” workmanship.
The tenants are using an apparently little known “get-out clause” in which they are able to opt out of refurbishments on their flats until such time as they vacate the premises.
Labour councillor Gary Doolan, who himself is a council tenant, is refusing to allow HFI – Islington Council’s housing agency – contractors into his Angel flat to carry out electrical work.
The row involves the issue of straightforward re-wiring versus the allegedly cheaper option of “cable trunking”.
Re-wiring uses current cable conduits, which hide wires behind walls. Trunking puts cables into plastic mini-boxes and runs them along the surfaces of walls and ceilings.
Cllr Doolan, a council tenant for 30 years at Cluse Court, insists he will get his own electrician to check his wires.
“At council surgeries there’s usually someone who complains about the standard of work,” he said.
He is particularly concerned that tenants “are not aware” they don’t have to have work done.
Under the government’s Decent Homes Standard guidelines, tenants can “opt out” of non-communal refurbishments, which in that case will be done after they eventually vacate the premises.
Cllr Doolan said: “Many people in my experience don’t know about this clause because no one has told them.
“It makes more sense for HFI contractors to do the work as a job lot. That way it’s cheaper and they don’t have to keep coming back to do individual flats when people move out.
“I’ve heard of tenants being told that they are breaking the law if they don’t have the work done. At the same time thousands are misled into having the work done when they don’t actually need it.”
Cllr Doolan called for individual assessments of people’s refurbishment needs.
“If they don’t need re-wiring or new bathrooms or kitchens then why install them?” he added.
He also called for the “get-out clause” to be more widely advertised.
Martin Rutherford, secretary of the Popham estate tenants and residents association, which represents 460 properties, is also refusing to allow contractors from HFI to re-wire his flat.
“I’ve spent a lot of money on my home,” he said. “I’m not having trunking all over my walls.
“They haven’t put any pressure on me because they know I know the rules. But they are putting pressure on the elderly on the estate. I keep getting calls from people who think they have to have the work done.”
Mr Rutherford has sent out letters to 203 residents on the subject of re-wring. He found that so far 49 residents don’t want the work done; 11 had the work done and were not happy with it and just two wanted the work done and feel trunking enhances property.
HFI maintain that their surveys show that 92 per cent of tenants are happy with work.
Mr Rutherford said: “I’m going to pay to have my electrics tested by an independent electrician. I’m saving HFI money. I’m afraid the work I’ve seen is not good enough and many of the workmen don’t even speak English.”
Sylvia Sharpe, who has lived on the estate for 19 years, is among those who have had the trunking work in their home.
“I didn’t want it done,” she said. “The work has left holes in my walls and ceiling and looks ugly. It will be hard to decorate.”
Ms Sharpe said that she was under the impression that the work had to be done by law.
She added: “My grand-daughter turned up and said, ‘Gran, what have you let them do?’
“I even signed a form to say I was satisfied with the work. There were about 10 of them and I just ticked the boxes.”
Sharon, from Barnes Walk, said contractors have told her they want to change the boiler, re-wire and repair the radiators in her flat.
She said: “I’m not letting them do any of the work. It’s disruptive, it’s ugly, and it ruins people’s homes. I’ve heard that people have to redecorate afterwards and I’m a single mother. I spend every penny I can making my home nice and can’t afford to just re-decorate.
“If equipment in my home meets health and safety standard then it makes no odds to me if it’s a bit old.
“They were due to start work a few weeks ago and they did put pressure on me but they changed their tune very quickly when I by chance got through to HFI and was told they shouldn’t have been asking me to sign pieces of paper agreeing to the work. I was told I was under no pressure to have anything done.”
Chairman of the Federation of Islington Tenants Associations (FITA) Brian Potter said he is not surprised that more tenants are opting out of having the work done.
“People have been bamboozled into having the work down and were not aware that they can refuse it,” he said.
Dr Potter, himself a former electrician for the old LEB back in the 1960s, added: “I think the trunking issue has come as residents have decided that they’ve had enough.”
He said suspected that people were not being told about the opt-out clause because the Decent Homes Standard needs to be met by 2010.
A HFI spokesman said that re-wiring work on the Popham estate has been designed to reduce disruption to the tenant and to be more cost effective.
“The re-wiring is being carried out as part of our duty to ensure properties are safe and well maintained not as part of the Decent Homes work,” the spokesman added. “The work is necessary and tenants can’t opt out of having the work done.
“Trunking has had to be used as it is not possible to bury the wires in the walls at this type of property. The new wiring is larger and there are more cables than in the existing electrical conduits so there is insufficient depth in the plaster.
“We have spoken to our contractors about tenants’ concerns to ensure work is carried out as sensitively as possible. We are talking to tenants about the route of the new trunking to try and reduce the impact and conceal it as much as possible.
“All work is inspected and any outstanding issues tenants have will be put right. We will be contacting Mrs Sharpe and will rectify any problems. We apologise to residents for any disruption but this work is necessary to maintain safe electrical systems.” |
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