ONE of the last remaining tenants of a block of flats which suffered serious storm damage last year has had to move out because of the state of the building.
The flats in Victoria Road, Darlington were damaged by storms before Christmas, with the situation becoming worse during last month’s Storm Dudley and Storm Eunice.
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Work has been taking place to repair the roof at the back of the the flats, which are at the former Coachman Hotel, and owned by HLM Property Management Services.
The Northern Echo has been told the storms have left loose electrical cables, problems with water running though the building and collapsed ceilings, while part of the roof has blown off.
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One of last tenants, who moved out last week because of the condition of the flats, said: “Nearly all the flats on the block are damaged.
"There was only me and another girl living there and she had buckets everywhere trying to catch water.
“There are loose wires and the roof has blown down. Mine is the only flat that hasn’t been damaged but others are really bad with mould and mildew.
“Most people moved out a couple of months ago when we had the bad weather.”
“It’s been horrendous,” she added. “A workman came out the other day and he said people shouldn’t be living there.
“It’s not very nice. When you go outside there is debris everywhere.”
Until last month, lettings were managed by Urpad Property Management, Bristol, which said it had worked "tirelessly" to support residents when the storms hit last November.
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A spokesperson for the group said: “The storm damage took place at the end of November 2021.
"We contacted the affected residents on a case-by-case basis following instruction from the block management and landlord.
“Where we were advised that a unit was deemed uninhabitable by the block management, we allowed the tenants to vacate without any restriction.
“In some cases, we refunded rent for the affected period and provided alternative hotel accommodation while residents sought new homes.
“Once the tenants had vacated, we then made the properties (that were deemed be uninhabitable following recommendation from the block managers) unavailable for let.
"The incident placed extreme pressure on our team who worked tirelessly with the residents providing as much support as we could through what would no doubt have been a difficult time for them.
“Ultimately the block itself and the buildings infrastructure was (and still is) managed by HLM. Our role was therefore restricted to trying to help the affected residents and chase updates on the progress of the communal repairs.
“We cannot do anything without HLM or the landlord’s instruction, but we took the immediate decision to re-accommodate the worst affected residents into hotels and absorb the costs of the accommodation in the first instance , and then seek recompense from the landlords at a later date.”
HLM Property Management Services has been contacted for comment.
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