'That's a cheek' says man after housing association offer compensation

Torus Konut apologized for falling below ‘expected standards’

Ian McDonald at his home at The Maples in Kirkby.(Picture: Colin Lane/Liverpool Echo)

A ‘stressed’ resident said she felt like she had been ‘kicked in the teeth’ after her housing association offered compensation following two water leaks in her flat. Ian McDonald has said Torus condo’s offer of compensation was ‘a bit cheeky’, claiming he waited two years to have water damage repaired to his home.

Torus housing manages Maples extra care housing scheme Kirkby and apologized to Mr McDonald for falling short of ‘expected standards’ and said he would make ‘corrections’ for the inconvenience they had caused his tenants.

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Ian moved to The Maples four years ago and was delighted to be offered a flat in ‘such a beautiful location’. Things have changed in that time, but Ian said it was still ‘a great place to live’. However, Mr McDonald’s enjoyment of the program has been severely affected by ongoing repair issues which are causing him extreme ‘stress and anxiety’.

Ian said: “About two years ago it was raining and water started coming out of the window onto the living room floor and into the middle of the room.

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Ian McDonald at his home at The Maples in Kirkby.(Picture: Colin Lane/Liverpool Echo)

“I didn’t even realize it until I was called because it was heading straight for the flat below me. “When the surveyor came and looked at it they didn’t know what was causing it and I was stuck.

“Finally a carpenter came along and fixed the problem and it was fixed. For a two minute job it took two years, but as you can see the flooring is still intact and nothing has been fixed yet.”

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A spokesman for Torus said: “The first report of water entering the living room was received in January and due to the length of the investigation to find out the cause it took longer than expected to repair which meant the work was completed on 3 July.”

Ian said the second incident of water damage occurred in July this year when water started coming into the hallway from the ceiling above the front door. He said: “I woke up around four in the morning and was looking for my inhaler as I waded through the corridor and bathroom.

“When I reported this, the first thing they said was that the engineers were not available and nothing could be done until the next day, so nothing was done until the day after the leak was reported. “I had to stay up all night checking the bucket level.

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Ian McDonald at his home at The Maples in Kirkby.(Picture: Colin Lane/Liverpool Echo)

“They came the next day and fixed the leak and started repairing the plaster on the ceiling. It was in July and now it’s almost November and nothing else has been done. You can build a new house in the meantime.”

Responding to a question about the second incident, Torus said: “Repairs in the corridor have been postponed as door architraves that were not in the original work needed to be replaced, but this will be completed on November 11, along with the renewal of skirting boards and sound insulation.”

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Ian said two water leak issues and the resulting damage to his home had caused him great stress, which was compounded by maintenance delays. He said his investment in decorating his home and installing new flooring was wasted.

This disorder was particularly evident for Ian because he was diagnosed with mental health issues such as anxiety and depression. She said: “I was so happy when I came here and thought I could finally build a beautiful, relaxing home, but everything that’s happened has taken that away and I’ve been completely stressed out by it all.

“It’s really affected my mental health, not to mention the practicality of living in these conditions. So I’ve been walking around on chipped concrete for months with all my belongings piled up on top of each other.”

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“Torus offered me £50 compensation for the inconvenience and another £50 compensation for the worry and stress, but I spent much more than that just on towels, cleaning and replacing the furniture. That’s a bit shameless if you ask me. A kick in the teeth after everything I’ve been through.” “

Torus confirmed that it would look at the compensation issue again after the flat was rehabilitated on 4 November. Paul Warburton, Group Director of Torus Residential Services, said: “We apologize to Mr McDonald for the level of service he experienced fell short of the standards we expected.

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Mr Warburton added: “To make amends with Mr McDonald we have also agreed to replace the corridor flooring, remove and re-tile the laminate flooring in the living room and install the lighting he has purchased. We will be discussing compensation directly with him to reflect the time and inconvenience these issues have caused.”