Tenant smashed Chatteris property's windows amid ongoing dispute with Clarion Housing over repairs
A housing association has apologised to a tenant after a three-year delay for work to be carried out at a property in Chatteris.
John Gawthorp and his wife Elaine say they have been battling with Clarion Housing to get repairs to their bungalow in New Road "almost from the day they moved in" 15 or 16 years ago.
Frustration with the lack of progress and a mental breakdown which led to Elaine being hospitalised resulted in Mr Gawthorp smashing almost every window in the semi-detached property at the end of January - a move which has earned him a police caution and a repair bill for the damage.
He claims Clarion have done nothing but stall and argue over the extent of repairs needed to the two bedroom bungalow since 2020 and Mr Gawthorp has accused them of "patch up jobs" rather than tackling the main issue of subsidence.
Something Clarion denies and say they have been trying to work with the Gawthorps to get the necessary work completed.
Mr Gawthorp said workmen had moved into do repairs while they were still in the property and it was the disruption and noise from that which caused his wife to suffer the mental breakdown.
Work was halted after more issues were discovered and there has been much toing and froing between the Gawthorps and Clarion Housing over what repairs are needed, and discussions about them moving out while the workmen move in again.
Mr Gawthorp finally moved out into temporary accommodation on January 20 this year because the bungalow needs so much major work doing to it. His wife is still in hospital. But Mr Gawthorp said since then there has been no sign of any work being carried out and he has been told it could take up to nine months for the repairs to be completed.
He also described one incident when there was a loud bang in the early hours of the morning. He woke at the sound, grabbed a torch and went outside to see what had caused the noise.
He said: "It was only when I came back in that I realised the two wardrobes that stand either side of the dressing table had crashed into each other - the floor had collapsed.
"We have been arguing that the property is subsiding since we moved in, there is also terrible black mould in the outhouse but Clarion have refused to do anything about that because they say it is not part of the main dwelling. They have been really unhelpful and I must admit I have lost my temper a few times.
"I know it was wrong to smash all the windows, but I just felt so angry and frustrated."
A spokesperson for Clarion said: "We apologise for the inconvenience Mr Gawthorp has experienced and we are doing everything we can to get him home as quickly as possible. As soon as concerns were raised (in 2020), we sent our surveyor to investigate and they discovered there was a subsidence issue but confirmed that the home was still safe to live in.
“Once repairs started in April 2021 in line with the agreed schedule of works, our contractors unfortunately discovered more issues that needed to be addressed. Property subsidence is a complex problem requiring ongoing monitoring, and progress has also been slowed due to negotiations around work to be completed and the need to find suitable long term accommodation for the family.
“A number of smashed windows in the property has caused a further delay whilst the incident is investigated and windows replaced, but work on the property is under-way. We will continue to keep Mr Gawthorp updated as work progresses so he can move back into his home as soon as it is safe for him to do so."
