A Watford mother-of-three who sought legal advice against Watford Community Housing (WCH) for the dangerous condition of her home has been awarded £14,000.
The resident had been complaining about the asbestos in her three-storey, four-bedroom terraced house on and off since 2016. After WCH allegedly ignored her concerns, the 58-year-old sought legal help from High Street Solicitors.
A surveyor found the resident’s bedroom ceiling was in a “poor state” and that a leak from the wet room above had exposed her and her family to asbestos.
Where the leak had damaged her bedroom ceiling, plywood was screwed in, but other cracks were sealed with gaffer tape. In August 2020, a hallway pipe burst, damaging the walls and wallpaper and exposing more asbestos.
High Street Solicitors issued court proceedings against WCH and shortly afterwards secured £14,000 in compensation for their client, as well as ensuring that the property was brought up to legal standards within a certain amount of time.
The resident said: “I’d recommend that anyone living in disrepair act upon it and seek legal advice. My whole family was subject to living in the property with exposed asbestos. I have also contacted my local MP in relation to the disrepair my family was being subjected to.”
A WCH spokesperson said: “We appreciate that, on this occasion, we have not met the high standards of customer service that we strive for. We want all our customers to feel safe and proud of their home and we apologise wholeheartedly to the affected party who has been let down in this instance. The issue has now been resolved and the outstanding repairs have been completed.”
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