Hackney Council compensation after window broken six months

Mark Burrell said he moved into new temporary accommodation in Beckers Estate on April 22 when the window was already off its hinges.

Mark said he made a stage one complaint to the council on May 26 and a stage two complaint was finalised on August 15. 

He said Hackney Homes visited the flat on August 2 and did not fix the window, and again on September 29 when the window was secured with brackets, causing the glass to crack.

Mark said his window had come off the latch, meaning it could not be closed (Image: Mark Burrell)

Mark said: "[The broken window has] 100 per cent increased bills as the weather has been cold and we're in a top floor flat, closest to the roof in a poorly insulated building. [It was] so drafty and the window couldn't even be touched, let alone closed, due to the risk of it falling out."

He continued: "There was no way of keeping the cold out of my room which eventually travelled around the flat. I even got thicker curtains and wore jumpers constantly and it didn't help.

"On top of that was the constant noise of the foxes and drunk people loitering by the wall outside my bedroom after leaving the pub on the corner.

"Our gas usage has been crazy and has dropped dramatically since having the window secured."

Mark claimed the council knew the window was broken when he moved in.

A Hackney Council spokesperson said on Wednesday (October 12): "We are sorry that in this case we did not meet the high standards we set ourselves in the time taken to respond to Mr Burrell's repair request and the steps we initially took to seek to resolve it.

"We have written to him to apologise and have offered compensation for the time, trouble and distress caused by this."

Hackney Council said a services manager and UPVC contractor visited Mark's flat on October 14 and determined that the window is beyond repair. The council said the necessary measurements were taken and the unit should be installed by the end of next week.