'We're living under constant fear in mouldy homes'

Tenants and leaseholders in Manchester have described failures by property management companies to tackle mould and carry out roof repairs as a feeling of "scandal and injustice".

Karen Khyyiam, who has multiple sclerosis, said the ceiling above her shower collapsed minutes after she had been in there and rats had been coming into the building in Hulme.

Colin Barton said he was billed £12k by management company, FirstPort to mend a leak in his roof, but said the job was "poor quality" and the leak had since returned.

A FirstPort spokesperson said their primary concern was the safety of residents and their priority was "to resolve this matter and support residents throughout the process" .

Ms Khyyiam said: "It's that bad, we've even got rats that are coming into the building as well and last year it got that bad that the floor above us collapsed into the back of our flat".

She shared footage showing water pouring through the ceiling above her shower just before the ceiling collapsed.

"I would have been in the shower if that had happened four minutes earlier and the whole lot would have collapsed on me," she said.

"I just think it's very cruel and very unfair because these are our homes, where we live, and these are supposed to be a place of sanctuary and safety," she added.

She said she and fellow residents going through this were living "under constant fear".

Colin Barton, a leaseholder for 10 years, said the situation was "horrendous" and he felt trapped in his home.

"I wake up angry in the morning and go to bed thinking about it at night and it feels so unjustified and it feels like a scandal and an injustice," he said.

Mr Barton said there was a leak in the roof on to the stairs, and despite it being repaired it continued to leak, yet the company said they were satisfied with what had been done to fix it.

Mr Barton said he felt "helpless" and was not given a breakdown of just what the £12k roof repair bill was for.

"There's a leak above my dining table, where I eat. This is the hell I am living in," he added.

He said the response from FirstPort was "inadequate", adding that "they need to come out and see what we're living through and take ownership of this".

Mr Barton said his service charge had also more than doubled from £80 to £200 since he moved in and it made him wonder what he was paying for.

Sara Talai, who has mould and plaster damage in her home, said "the worst part of it is just being continually ignored by FirstPort".

She said that last year the company billed her in error for more than £21k, with no breakdown to explain what this was for, with the company later telling her it had charged her more than £12k extra in error.

Ms Talai said living in these conditions was taking its toll on her health, as the limited spare time she had after work and being a carer for her mother was spent "having to deal with the next communication to FirstPort".

Manchester Rusholme MP Afzal Khan said multiple constituents had contacted him over the failures of FirstPort, who manage the development of 22 homes on Bold Street and Chichester Road South in Hulme.

Khan said he had contacted FirstPort 13 times in the past year "and I have not seen any meaningful progress on the matter at all" which was unacceptable.

He said he had met with around 12 leaseholders and tenants to discuss the situation.

The Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024 became law last year but has yet to be brought into force.

The act aims to strengthen leaseholders' rights by making it easier and cheaper for leaseholders to extend leases or buy freeholds and to ban new leasehold properties.

A FirstPort spokesperson said: "Our primary concern is the safety of residents, and we take their concerns seriously.

"We know the effect that complex or ongoing issues can have and are fully committed to working closely with Mr Khan and homeowners to resolve all outstanding matters."

Temporary repairs had been carried out on the roof and skylights on what is known as the Princeton 22 estate to "minimise disruption" due to a delay in finding contractors to carry out permanent repairs, they added.

They said once the scope of the work was confirmed, they would arrange a meeting with Afzal Khan and the homeowners, alongside the surveyor, to outline a timeline for the repairs.

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