A Heworth resident is in a long dispute with City of York Council over ongoing, unresolved repair issues at her council home.
A council chief responded to Sharon’s claims, admitting they handle many repairs yearly but don’t always succeed.
Sharon’s problems started back in 2018 when she saw wet spots on her walls. She let the city council know immediately. The wallpaper seemed bubbled up and Sharon said it was damp, too. Rain made her worry the problem would worsen.
She waited a year for someone to arrive, but Sharon said that person seemed unqualified. He admitted he didn’t know what to do. Another year passed and it got worse; she kept calling with no improvements.
Eventually, a woman came for inspection and asked about bathroom flooring. Sharon didn’t know she was owed flooring, supposedly since seventeen years prior.
The damp spot in her living room continued and the council put scaffolding up outside, seeking to find the cause of the humidity. Sharon noted water entered through the wall. The weather didn’t always reflect the dampness, and she thought water got stuck inside.
Scaffolding went up and down four times, and her bathroom floor got refitted six times. Sharon felt there was no care or communication about it.
The wall’s dampness stopped, but it had a lasting impact. Sharon says she felt frightened with the state of things as cracks formed with water coming through, and strangers came and went often.
Sharon mentioned her internet cable got removed, and says the workers haven’t replaced it. She said she feels like she can’t do anything.
A City of York Council boss responded to this experience, stating, “We don’t get it right every time.”
Michael Jones, who manages housing and assets, said they can’t comment on specific issues, but knows good repairs are important to tenants. He mentioned they do 25,000 repairs yearly, know they don’t always succeed, and are trying hard to meet expectations.
Wait times have fallen, he reports, and first-time fixes have increased, too. This suggests service improvements are underway. He asks tenants to report issues quickly and mentioned a transparent complaints process is available, helping address service failures.