‘I’ve had no hot water or heating for most of my pregnancy’
Samantha Banner and her partner have been living without heating or hot water for most of her pregnancy, relying on washing in buckets filled with kettle-boiled water, camping showers, or travelling elsewhere.
The couple are leaseholders of a flat at Admiral Court in Croydon, south London, where residents across the mixed-tenure development have been without a gas supply since 4 March due to "potentially dangerous leaks".
They say they’ve been caught up in layers of bureaucracy among the freeholder, the housing association, managing agents and the developer over who is responsible for the cost of remedial works, making it "hard to get answers."
With the original developer having gone into liquidation, the dispute over who should pay has left residents in the 65 flats facing uncertainty over whether the cost of replacing the pipework could ultimately fall on them.
Samantha, who discovered she was pregnant at the start of January, says the situation has made everyday life "extremely difficult".
For months, the couple were unable to shower at home, although they now have a camping shower involving a "big bucket of water that we fill up with a kettle, and have a really quick shower". They were also preparing to exchange and move to a bigger family home when their buyer pulled out due to a combination of increased service charges and ongoing gas problems.
"We are in absolute limbo. We can’t put it back on the market because of the situation with the gas." She says there is still no clear time frame for the gas to be restored.
"It’s going to be expensive, I get it, but no-one is claiming any liability on it. We’re just left waiting for them to make their decisions."
Zainab Ottun, a shared owner who was among the first residents to move into the building when it was completed in 2019, feels trapped and unable to sell. She says there have been multiple gas leaks over the years, with the supply repeatedly cut off and reinstated as "weaknesses in the infrastructure were detected". When the gas was switched off in March, Zainab was recovering from Achilles surgery and using crutches. Without hot water, she had to wash using a bucket.
"You don’t buy a new build expecting it to crumble right before your eyes as you’re living in it."
Another resident, Akira Pascall, a paediatric nurse who lives with her partner and three-year-old son in a shared ownership flat, is also angry about the situation.
"After long shifts you have to come home and fill up the shower. Work is stressful enough and you want to come home to a safe haven."
Pascall is also concerned that residents may be expected to fund the cost of repairs.
