Possessions stuck in unsafe flats two years on

Tenants of a block of flats declared structurally unsafe say they have not yet been able to retrieve many of their possessions, more than two years after they had to move out.

A total of 100 people living in Eastgate House, Woking, were asked to leave their homes in November 2023 after an emergency prohibition order was issued over the condition of the building.

Nick and Noi Weeks say they have been unable to retrieve important documents and family photos, including those of both the couple's deceased parents.

They claim Southern Housing Group (SHG) confirmed they would be able to retrieve a maximum of 10 items per flat, while SHG said it had not "placed a limit on the number of items".

Weeks, 70, who moved into the Surrey block in 2005 with his wife, now 63, and daughter, said they did not leave instantly after receiving a letter about the prohibition order.

"We've been here for 18 years and it's not fallen down yet," he said.

He said residents, who at first were allowed access to the building, were "told initially that this [the evacuation] would only be for a couple of months".

However, by May 2024 Weeks says the residents were told that the exclusion would remain in place indefinitely, with "nobody was allowed in the building".

The couple have since been rehoused, but many of their personal items remain in their former home.

Weeks said: "All of [Noi's] important documents are in Thai and she wants them back.

"Birth certificates for her children, our wedding certificate, her original visa applications, citizenship application. That's all in there, she'd like to keep that.

"She managed to bring out a picture of her dead twin, she died five years ago, [but] there's other pictures of her family, there's pictures of my dead parents, her dead parents."

At the end of 2025, SHG wrote to former Eastgate residents to confirm specialist contractors had been appointed to retrieve items on their behalf.

A letter seen by the BBC details a number of criteria for this process.

It says items are only retrievable if they are "of a sentimental or irreplaceable nature", "cannot be compensated for financially", "are not affixed to the building", and "can be easily be carried by one person".

The final condition is that "there are no more than 10 items per flat".

When questioned by the BBC, SHG denied placing a numerical restriction but confirmed the other restrictions.

A spokesperson for SHG said: "The contractor we're working with is highly experienced in this type of work, but the structural issue in the building does limit where they can safely go, what they can do, and how long they can remain in each flat."

A start date for this process has not yet been finalised.

SHG says it has been "clear from the start that returning home is unlikely", and "after carefully reviewing all the expert evidence" it does not feel "safe" or "realistic" to repair the building.

"The only approach that genuinely protects people and provides a long-term, workable solution is to move forward with demolishing Eastgate," the SHG spokesperson says.

Barratt Homes (Redrow), "the original developer of Eastgate", is carrying out its own testing of the building, they added.

Barratt Redrow says experts will soon begin testing the concrete at Eastgate, having already done so in the two adjoining buildings, Westgate and the Exchange.

Those buildings have been declared safe, the company said.

Confirming the prohibition order remained in place, a spokesperson for Woking Borough Council said: "We welcome the appointment of a specialist contractor by Southern Housing who will retrieve personal belongings on behalf of former residents."

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