Pitcairn House tenant has leak return week after repairs end

Nuivene Facey, a council tenant who lives on the second floor of Pitcairn House, spoke to Hackney Gazette earlier this month after leaks damaged her kitchen and living room.

She had been forced to move her fridge into a communal corridor at the block of flats, and her living room furniture onto her balcony, while repair works were carried out.

After enduring this for more than two months, the final repairs – described by Hackney Council as “snagging work” – were finished two weeks ago.

Nuivene had to move her fridge into a corridor outside her flat while repair works were carried out (Image: Newsquest)

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This included painting over Nuivene’s damaged living room walls, which were badly stained.

But the mum, who has lived in the leak-ridden block for 13 years with her husband and son, claims that the kitchen leak returned within a week of repairs ending, on August 21.

Water has dripped through the ceiling next to her kitchen windows, exposing a damp patch that was merely painted over the last time the council visited, Nuivene said.

She explained: “It’s still leaking from the area in the kitchen that they have already repainted. As soon as they put the paint on it, that bit of ceiling came down.

“The council think it’s from my upstairs neighbour’s balcony. But they haven’t called me this week.”

The leak in Nuivene's kitchen returned last week (Image: Nuivene Facey)

Nuivene said that the reappearance of the leak means she has to keep her window open constantly, and prevents her putting up new curtains in case they become damaged.

She added: “I can’t live like this again.”

It comes amid council plans to conduct a block-wide survey to “check the condition of the homes" in Pitcairn House.

People living in the block claim they have suffered for years from leaks and “shoddy” repairs.

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The Social Housing Regulator recently found that Hackney Council had “serious failings” as a landlord.

The authority has now acknowledged “how frustrating” the situation has become for Nuivene, and claimed it contacted her yesterday (August 28) to update her.

Kain Roach, Hackney’s operations director for property services, claimed that the repairs team is doing everything it can to “get access to the neighbouring property” above.

He added: “As this is a damp issue and water is not actively coming through the ceiling, we are unable to carry out our emergency procedure to gain entry to the flat above.”