Forced to live with an unsafe staircase, “mouldy and crumbling” bath panel, leaky door frame and a cold home – this is the reality for a council house tenant in Sheffield who has waited over five years for essential repairs to their home, despite rent costs going up.

Ann Crookes, 44, who lives in the Parsons Cross area of the city, says she feels like she is “living in squalor” after waiting six years for repairs to a broken back door which leaks everytime it rains and leaves her house draughty and cold.

“When the door was installed almost 10 years ago I told the workmen that the door didn’t fit properly and that it would need to be replaced within a few years, because of the way he was fitting it and how short it was,” she explained.

Read more: Heartbreaking tributes as search for ‘selfless and kind, one in a million’ teaching assistant ends

“It’s been patched up and fixed since then, but about five or six years ago it started howling. When it’s windy, the noise is horrendous. And when it rains the water comes in and floods the back porch.”

Ann was told in June 2023 that a new door frame had been put in order and that a replacement would be fitted. After hearing nothing for six months, she followed this up with the council in December 2023. “It got to the point where I had to ask them again what was going on – the house was so cold and draughty, only for them to tell me that the door had never been ordered.”

She added: “We’re in a cost of living crisis and when you’re then ending up with £250 gas and electric bills, because of having to have the heating on constantly because as soon as you get the house warm the draft starts again, it’s a waste of money.

“I’m not able to live properly because the cost of gas and electricity is so high due to the draughty door.”

A replacement for a “mouldy crumbly bath panel” in her home was authorised on the same day as the new door in June 2023, but after chasing the replacement up again, Ann has been told that a replacement won’t be fitted until April 2024.

In her kitchen, the paint is peeling away on the kitchen cupboards. “I keep cutting my hand on it, but I’m not allowed to peel it off, otherwise the council will say it was purposeful damage to the property – so I can’t do anything about it.” She explained that joiners have been sent out to her property to take measurements for the repairs two or three times, but so far no repairs have taken place.

Ann's staircase has been deemed 'unsafe' by joiners - a problem which she first reported to Sheffield Council in 2018
Ann’s staircase has been deemed ‘unsafe’ by joiners – a problem which she first reported to Sheffield Council in 2018
(Image: Ann Crookes)

Ann explained she has received no explanation from the council as to why the repairs are taking so long. “The problem seems to be that they’re not passing on their information to the planning department, and organising getting the work done. So they’re just sending more joiners out – it’s like we’re stuck in an endless circle.

“It’s frustrating that the rent is going up, yet we’re being forced to live with substandard accommodation. It’s just depressing – it makes you feel like you’re living in squalor.”

The staircase in Ann’s home, which she shares with her 14-year-old daughter, has also been deemed unsafe by joiners – an issue which she first reported to the council almost six years ago, back in 2018.

She said: “A joiner has told me the staircase is completely unsafe and there’s a number of stairs which need to be completely replaced. One of them had dropped by an inch.”

The joiner placed a number of L brackets on the stairs to hold them into place while Ann waited for repairs. But when she followed it up, she was told that a joiner would need to be sent out to assess the stairs for a third time.

The joiner took more photos and measurements of the stairs, which he said would be passed to the planning department. “I rang them up again on Friday (March 21) because if they need to take the whole staircase out, then I need to know when it’s happening so I can arrange to stay somewhere else with my daughter – but it hadn’t even been passed through to the planning department.”

The panel on Ann's bath is "mouldy and crumbling"
The panel on Ann’s bath is “mouldy and crumbling”
(Image: Ann Crookes)

As the relevant information hadn’t been passed on to the correct department by the joiner, the council explained that they will now be sending a third joiner out to reassess the situation with her stairs. “This is what we’re having to live with, yet I’ve just received a letter telling me that my rent is going up.”

Ann explained that she suffers from a number of health problems including Raynauds and Functional Neurological Disorder (FND) – which make the impacts of the repairs more concerning. Ann said: “My FND primarily impacts my balance and steadiness which means that having unsteady and unsafe stairs is quite dangerous for me, because I’m more likely to fall down them.” Ann said the council are aware of her health conditions, but this hasn’t done anything to help speed up the repairs.

She also explained that there have been incidents where workmen have not turned up for appointments. “My frustration with the council is they’re wasting their money and my money. The rent is going up, yet we’re having to live with substandard accommodation.”

A spokesperson for Sheffield City Council said they are “aware” of the repairs and are working to complete them “as soon as possible”. They said: “We are aware of the reports made to us by the tenant. We are arranging an inspection at the tenant’s convenience to gather all repair reports into one action plan. This will be with the aim to resolve the issues quickly and give the tenant a point of contact throughout.

“Some of these issues already have new parts ordered to fix, which will be completed as soon as possible. Those which already haven’t had parts ordered to fix, will be processed as soon as possible.”

But Ann believes she isn’t the only one. She says other people she knows who rent their homes from Sheffield Council are also facing lengthy waits for repairs to their properties. “I’ve got a friend who’s kitchen is falling apart – the ceiling is completely bowing, the light fitting fell and narrowly missed hitting her on the head.

“She’s been waiting for the council to come out and deal with a mould and damp issue. They need these repairs and they’re just not getting done.”

Get all the latest and breaking Sheffield news straight to your inbox by signing up to our newsletter here.


Read More: World News | Entertainment News | Celeb News
YorkshireLive

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

You May Also Like

Terrifying 3,500-strong army of marauding MONKEYS invade city centre forcing tourists & locals to flee & shops to close

AN ARMY of thousands of monkeys have run a city in central…

Will Trump lose property if he can’t pay $464m in New York’s fraud ruling?

Former United States President Donald Trump has built a self-styled reputation as…

Six presumed victims of Baltimore bridge collapse all from Latin America

The six likely victims of the Baltimore bridge collapse on Tuesday all…

Jennifer Lopez Shares Rare Photos of 16-Year-Old Daughter Whose Appearance Ignited Mixed Reactions

Jennifer Lopez dazzled the public with an intimate glimpse into her life…