A FORMER soldier with a chronic lung condition was left critically ill after he rented a flat riddled with damp.

Paul Haynes, 53, a Northern Ireland veteran with the Royal Signals, spent six weeks in Southend Hospital, two of them in intensive care.

Mr Haynes, who has chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, fell ill after renting a private flat in Meteor Road, Westcliff. He was then left homeless after he was served with an eviction notice for the £700-a-month one-bedroom flat for witholding rent.

He has now left hospital and has been helped by Southend Council, which has housed him in a B&B – due to his health condition he cannot go back to the flat because of the damp.

But his case has highlighted the difficulties facing the council and hospital when it comes to finding accommodation for those in need after a hospital stay.

Mr Haynes said: “I shouldn’t really have been discharged from hospital as I still have a lung infection, but they just gave me tablets and said I could take them at home. They are that desperate for beds.

“It’s terrible places can be let like this. To look at it, it looks a nice flat, but it’s riddled with damp, which I believe was just painted over.”

Mr Haynes was let the groundfloor flat by Ocean Residential, based in Hamlet Court Road, Westcliff, in September 2013. He claims he told the letting agent he could not tolerate damp because of his condition.

However, within two months of moving in, mould began to appear on the walls. He then withheld rent until repairs were carried out, but, though the work was done, it proved ineffective and the damp returned.

In October last year, he complained to Southend Council and a team inspected the flat and subsequently filed a report highlighting a long list of issues.

However, while the council continued its investigations, Mr Haynes fell seriously ill.

In hospital, he was served with a notice to quit the flat over the rent he withheld. While he has now paid up, he still had to leave the property and has been taken into the council’s care.

Sandra Steeples, patient admission and discharge manager at Southend Hospital, said the case highlighted the need for patients to have appropriate accommodation when leaving hospital.

She said: “The hospital discharge team are specialists who work with patients, relatives, the council, relevant groups in the community and agencies to help ensure a well-planned discharge to a safe and appropriate place.

“These issues do take time to resolve properly and the hospital environment would also be an unsuitable place to wait, as Mr Haynes would have been at risk of further infections due to his chronic lung problem.”

David Norman, Southend councillor responsible for adult social care, health and housing, warned tenants theymust still pay their rents.

He said: “The council cares about the local community and is doing all it can to support Mr Haynes with his housing and health issues.

“The council would not advise any tenant to withhold rent due to issues with their property because, under the Housing Act, landlords can lawfully evict a tenant for rent arrears and rent arrears is considered a separate matter to tackling disrepair at a property.

“Obviously, this can present challenges to tenants and the council, but we only have the power to work within national guidelines and law.”

Mr Norman added: “As has been seen in previous cases, the council will take the appropriate action to ensure any serious hazards with properties are dealt with.

“Once the investigation into this particular property is completed, further enforcement options, if necessary, will be considered.

“Aside from the private housing issue, the council and health partners have also been assisting Mr Haynes over a period of months with his health problems and our Housing Options team have found short-term accommodation to allow Mr Haynes to leave hospital, while we find a more suitable longer term option.”

 

We didn't know about Paul's ill-health

THE firm which let the flat to Mr Haynes said it was unaware of his condition.

Riff Buta, spokesman for Ocean Residential which is acting on behalf of the owner of the property, also said the landlady now needed to formally evict Mr Haynes in order to carry out remedial work to the property and Mr Haynes had emailed her acknowledging the date he had to leave.

He said: “The landlady gave notice to Mr Haynes so she can go in and do the jobs. Hewas supposed to leave on December 9. Everything is in limbo because we need to gain access to do the work.

“There was nothing wrong with the flat when Mr Haynes moved in.

We have done everything we can to help. We could have gone in while he was in hospital, but we still need his permission to gain access and we haven’t been able to get that.

“We are waiting for a report on the damp conditions. The work done is still under guarantee. If it hasn’t been done properly, they need to go back to solve the problem, but the landlady needs to get in there and do the job properly.

“She also allowed him a twomonth rent reduction when the initial work was carried out, with full rent meant to resume on the third month.”

List of hazards at the property:

VICTORIA Routledge,private sector housing enforcement officer for Southend Council, visited the

property on October 21 and catalogued the following hazards/deficiencies:

* The property is not free from dampness and suffers from excess cold. There are trip and falling hazards in addition to the fire and electrical safety issues. There are hazards at the property which over a 12-month period may cause serious health issues for the vulnerable groups and may affect the personal health issues of the current occupier

* Insecurity, no side gate, access open to rear of property/garden

* Missing guarding to rear decking and untreated slippery surfaces

* Yard/garden paving uneven, with many trip hazards to both front path and rear garden

* Garden wall – loose coping stones to top

* External waste pipework defective, long run is bowed and leaking

* Waste from shower room slow to drain

* Roof has several slipped slates, with reports of leaks into first floor flats. Roof flashing may also be causing water ingress which may because of dampness to ground floor dining room/bedroom walls

* Guttering appears to be in need of clearing and testing for correct falls and may, if regularly overflowing, allow water ingress into property’s walls

* No separation between the kitchen and the conservatory, non-compliant to building regulations – should have external quality door/window separation

* Two internal doors to the dining room have fully glazed panels which are not safety glass

* Front entrance door has been poorly sited and has very limited access. The entrance is not to 1991

building regulations. The property does not provide 30-minute fire protection

* Recent damp proof course survey and works to left rear corner of the dining room failed to identify identical damp proof course failure to rest of the rear wall, where it abuts the kitchen and bathroom. Both also have evidence of dampness likely to be as a result of defects to the damp proof course, also to other walls within the property – namely the external corner adjacent to the bedroom, the rear wall to the bedroom (this may be also due to penetrating damp from external walls/roof) and high damp readings above the skirting to the front living room bay. The stone cills and mullions may also be aggravating the damp problem

* Central heating lacks room thermostat and no thermostatic radiator valve’s to radiators are causing

difficulties in controlling temperature

* Electric sockets poorly sited on or adjacent to skirting boards, pose electrical and fire hazards.