Relatives of elderly residents trapped for six days and counting say ‘not acceptable’
The three storey block off Pershore Road, Kings Norton
Distraught residents on the upper floors of a block of apartments for older people in Birmingham have been ‘trapped’ in their homes since Monday after a lift broke – with no sign of a quick fix.
Residents of the upper two floors of the blocks of three storey flats, off Pershore Road, Kings Norton, say they feel they have been ‘abandoned’ by property managers Sanctuary, one of the UK’s largest providers of housing and care.
Their lift breakdown was reported by residents on Monday but the firm only arranged for lift engineers to properly investigate the issue on Friday, February 27, five days later, after being alerted by BirminghamLive.
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The firm say they found then that a specialist part was needed to carry out the repair, which has now been ordered. They were unable to guarantee when the lift will be operational again.
One resident, 75, who lives on the top floor, said his wife was among the significant number of residents who rely on the lift because they use wheelchairs or have significant mobility issues. She has been unable to get out since the breakdown.
It meant she was unable to attend a recent landmark birthday event. Other neighbours have been left in the same position, including a resident who uses an electric chair and a 92 year old solo neighbour.
One resident who was moving in to their first floor property this week had to get all of their furniture and kitchen white goods carried up the stairs because of the breakdown.
The errant lifts inside the property
A briefer lift breakdown last year had resulted in one resident with mobility issues having a fall while trying to navigate the stairs. “Obviously that’s in our minds now and we don’t want to risk anyone coming to harm,” added the resident.
The delay in investigating and ordering the part required had been ‘very frustrating’ with limited communication from the firm, he said.
Residents of the block have also been flagging a broken security entrance gate for three months, without success. Young people had recently been found inside the complex, sniffing balloons of nitrous oxide, after getting in through the broken gate.
Those living in the block, managed by Sanctuary, pay a monthly service charge of more than £250 per apartment that is meant to cover the costs of external window cleaning, communal areas, garden maintenance and security.
The properties affected by the breakdown
Several of the residents have sold their family home to downsize to the apartment in the managed complex for their peace of mind and safety.
Sanctuary Housing Association and its subsidiaries manages more than 125,000 homes across England and Scotland, and has an annual turnover of £589 million.
A spokesperson for Sanctuary said: “The issue with the lift was reported on Monday 23 February and our external contractor immediately attended the site to investigate.
“The lift engineers have identified the repairs that are needed and we can reassure residents that the work will be completed as soon as the specialist, replacement parts arrive.
“In the meantime, we will be ensuring that residents are offered extra support until the lift is restored and we can also confirm that work to reinstate the security gates will be completed shortly.
“We are sorry these repairs have taken longer than expected and understand the concerns expressed by residents.”
They said ‘individual welfare checks’ would now be carried out across the block.