A renters’ union has urged a social housing giant to deal with vermin and mould problems after surveying more than 100 Teessiders.

Housing Action Teesside has compiled a 26-page report into Thirteen Housing Group – finding disquiet about times for repairs to come, staff numbers at the firm, and damp in properties.

But Thirteen has responded claiming the paper has “some potential inaccuracies” – and that it had been working with customers to resolve issues raised in the report.

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The renters’ union had held meetings in Primrose Hill, Newtown, and erected stalls in Middlesbrough and Stockton since its formation.

The action group submitted questionnaires via social media and to councillors across Teesside in a bid to gauge how Thirteen was doing – and ask about repairs. Chairman Tom Zagoria said just over 100 people responded.

Its report into Thirteen found 73 per cent of those it surveyed had faced problems with repairs.

The paper added: “Some of the most concerning problems faced by Thirteen tenants reported to HAT included damp, resulting in health problems, having to wait weeks, months, or even years for repairs to be completed, and tenants suffering from stress and anxiety as a result of waiting on things being fixed.

“We call on Thirteen to use its resources to implement a strategy to get repairs completed within one month, deal with widespread issues of damp, mould and infestation on a pro-active estate wide basis, and recognise renters’ unions which can collectively negotiate with Thirteen around rents and housing conditions.”

Thirteen oversees about 33,000 socially rented homes across Teesside.

The housing giant unveiled a £1bn package to improve its homes and create thousands more jobs in 2019.

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Its latest published annual report from 2020/21 showed it had plans for £31m in internal and external improvements to homes in the last financial year.

It had a £181m turnover and an operating surplus of £36.9m. Customer satisfaction rates stood at 95.5% in June last year – with the annual report stating there was an average repair time of under eight days.

The firm also defended its performance after criticism from former employee and Newtown councillor Paul Weston earlier this month – saying its surpluses were put back into front line services.

The HAT report surveyed Teessiders on repair waits, Thirteen staffing levels, and the firm’s complaints process.

Questionnaire results showed most respondents didn’t think Thirteen has enough staff (65%), and more than half (57%) weren’t aware of the company’s complaints process.

The action group also gave case studies in its report – reporting how one tenant had been waiting on a roof repair since 2019.

Other examples HAT gave on repair delays from its surveys were:

  • Not having a washing machine usable for a month due to electrical fault
  • Not having use of a shower
  • Frequent damp problems
  • Leaks causing further damage

The report also offered six case studies from tenants – including the plight of Billingham grandad Daniel Mulloy who had faced problems with damp at his home on Rochester Road.

At the time, Thirteen said it planned to carry out works earlier this month.

Other cases included claims it took almost 18 months for repeated damp problems in a Stockton home to be sorted out in a pregnant mum’s home, seven years of rat infestation in a Primrose Hill property, and unrepaired storm damage from Storm Arwen in November last year at home on Central Mews, Middlesbrough.

HAT rounded off its report by calling on Thirteen to commit to one-month limits for repairs without rises in rents or charges.

It also wanted to see the firm deal with damp and rodent problems “recurring across multiple homes in whole estates”.

In response to the report, Thirteen’s David Ripley said the firm was always keen to work collaboratively for its customers.

The director added: “Since being made aware of the report, we’ve contacted Housing Action Teesside many times to arrange to meet with them to discuss their findings, as well as highlight some potential inaccuracies in their report ahead of its publication and share information about the work we are doing to support our customers.

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"A meeting has been arranged with HAT for next week, so we’re disappointed to find that the group has shared its findings with the media ahead of this.

“Nevertheless, we look forward to working with them to benefit our customers and further understand some of the issues they raise.

"We’re already aware of some of the customer experiences shared in the report and, prior to the involvement of HAT, have been actively working with these customers to resolve the issues they’ve experienced and offer any ongoing support they need.

“Our customers and the service we provide for them remains our priority, so no matter what the issue we always ask our customers to speak with us in the first instance.

"This means we can help to resolve any issues as quickly as possible when they come to light.”

 

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