December 19th 2024.
Next in our story, we have a man named Stephen Arkley who had to quickly vacate his flat due to a terrible smell that suddenly permeated from his bathroom walls. The cause? Mould. This has been an ongoing issue for Stephen for the past six months, with no real solution in sight. Despite numerous attempts from both his landlord and the apartment building's management company, the mould continued to spread and take over his Liverpool flat.
In an attempt to combat the mould, workers were sent to bleach the walls in September, but unfortunately, the root problem of a leaky pipe was not addressed. This led to even more issues, such as water leaking through the light fixture, leaving Stephen to shower in the dark. Things came to a head last Friday when building maintenance showed up unannounced while Stephen was working from home. As they removed the wall to access the pipe, a terrible smell filled the air, forcing Stephen to flee his own home.
In an interview with Metro, Stephen shared, "It was bad before, it was definitely attracting flies, but when they knocked the wall in, it actually made me almost throw up. The smell that came out was horrible. I couldn't even sleep there that night. The pipe was loose, so you can imagine all the contents of the building, sewage essentially, a horrible smell."
Not only was the mould causing problems, but it also posed a serious health hazard for Stephen, who was now working from home part-time and spending more time in the flat. By the time the issue was finally addressed, black mould and damp patches had spread all over the walls and ceiling, causing damage to Stephen's belongings and disrupting his daily life.
Images and a video shared with Metro show the extent of the damage, with water dripping from the ceiling light and mould and dampness seeping through the walls and ceiling in other parts of the apartment building. Stephen shared that he had to place buckets on the floor to catch the water, and it was a constant battle to keep his bathroom from flooding.
Stephen also revealed that the living situation had taken a toll on his mental and physical health, "I'm lucky I don't have asthma or something or it'd be 100 times worse, but it's definitely taken a toll on my mental and physical health. I've had to take various bouts of sickness from work because of feeling inflammation in my chest. Then just because the living situation has been so terrible, I've not been feeling great because of it."
Eventually, Stephen's landlord, L1 Lettings, moved him to a different property within the same building. However, he is still tied to his current lease until January. Stephen is hoping for some form of compensation for the past six months of living in what he considers "unlivable accommodation." He shared, "I'm kind of used to bad treatment from landlords, but this has been the worst it's been. I've never really been in this situation before."
L1 Lettings released a statement regarding the situation, assuring that they had not overlooked Stephen's issues and had been working closely with the building management company to find a solution. However, it took some time to assess the extent of the repairs needed, and unfortunately, the damage to Stephen's flat accelerated rapidly in the month leading up to the repairs. They also mentioned that they were in discussions with the building management company and the landlord regarding compensation for Stephen's experience.
The building management company, Blockera, also released a statement, stating that they were made aware of the situation in mid-November and immediately took action to replace the leaking pipework. They clarified that the responsibility for relocating Stephen falls on his letting agent, L1 Lettings, and not the building management.
Amidst all the back and forth, one thing is clear - Stephen has been through a lot and deserves compensation for the chaos and inconvenience he has endured for the past six months. Hopefully, a solution can be reached soon, and Stephen can finally have a safe and comfortable place to call home.
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[Generative AI is experimental.]
