Residents of a high-end complex of apartments for over-55s in a leafy Bolton suburb are up in arms over what they claim is the failure of a property management company to carry out ‘essential maintenance’.
A 95-year-old woman says she has had to toss her keys down from her balcony at Greenmount Court, Heaton to allow the people delivering her weekly prescriptions and groceries because the intercom which would normally allow entry has been broken for 14 months.
On one occasion, she says paramedics who had arrived to take her to hospital were on the verge of calling the fire brigade to batter the door down. Eventually, however, they were able to use the key safe.
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Former RAF nurse Anna Fallows says repeated calls to the company Residential Management Group (RMG) to try to get the necessary repair done have left her ‘exhausted’.
Meanwhile, her ground-floor neighbour Bill Holmes, 64, who moved in with his wife Jane, 54, only five weeks ago says he is constantly having to greet visitors who can’t get access to the building using the intercom.
Monthly management fees at the complex have recently risen from £206 per month to £272.
Nextdoor to Bill and Jane are Stewart Court, 65, and wife Lorraine 64. They moved in 18 months ago and say their property has been plagued by damp ever since.
They say fitted wardrobes they procured when they arrived are now ruined because of the walls and floor are wet.
Anna has lived in the complex of 24 apartments for 30 years, moving in about four years after they were built.
“They (RMG) are not doing the things they should be doing,” she told the Local Democracy Reporting Service.
“My prescriptions for my medications come once week and every time I have to throw my keys down from my [first floor] balcony.
“It’s the same when I get my Tesco delivery. On one occasion, I threw the keys down and they landed on the delivery man’s head. Luckily, he saw the humorous side of it.
“Another time, I threw them down and they landed on top of the van. The driver wasn’t happy.”
She said another time an ambulance arrived to transport her to hospital. The paramedics were on verge of calling the fire brigade to break the door down because they couldn’t get in. In the end, she was shouted down the combination for key safe so they could get in.
She said the intercom and door release mechanism had been broken for 14 months.
Bill added: “Surely, it’s a health and safety issue. I can’t understand why it’s taking so long to fix the intercom and door release. In one of the other buildings the lift has been broken for five months.
“In my opinion, we’re not getting what we’re paying the RMG for.”
Stewart says he and Lorraine are frustrated with what they say is a ‘lack of communication’ and slow response of the management company.
“Every time a job needs doing they say they need two quotes, but it seems to take for ever,” he said. “And then nothing seems to happen. I’ve got a list of emails I’ve sent to RMG as long as your arm.”
A spokesperson for RMG said: “We have sympathy with customers on the issue with the lift. Due to the age of the lift the parts required are not readily available and we have spent some considerable time sourcing quotes and because of the rarity of the parts the cost is extremely high.
“We have been seeking alternative quotes which we appreciate has taken some time to obtain. We are currently using a lift consultant to understand the options available to us. We recognise that the communication to the customer should have been more frequent, and we will issue regular updates on this issue going forward.
“In respect of the Tunstall and intercom systems, this was damaged by work completed by a contractor working on behalf of a resident. In order to replace the system, we have agreed a funding proposal with the landlord, and we have been issuing updates to all customers via the ‘Section 20’ process, which enables residents to have their say on the proposed works, costs and contractors to be used. We will continue to update customers through this process.
“[Stewart and Lorraine’s apartment] has been subjected to several investigations by a number of contractors, to try to mitigate the issues being experienced. These investigations have led to the completion of several works, including works to address blocked guttering, and extending drainage. However, due to the problem persisting and the nature of the ingress a chartered surveyor has been approached for their consideration. We will continue to update the customer on the progress.”
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