Residents living in “Dickensian” conditions refuse to pay service charge

By Kiro Evans, Local Democracy Reporter

Residents living in a block in Greenwich with “Dickensian conditions” are refusing to pay service fees as they call on their housing agency to take action.

Chris Sayudo, 60, is among tenants at Canada Court, in Brookhill Road, who claim “piles of filth” and “rats and mice running around” are not being dealt with.

They also allege that proper security services they were paying for have not been provided.

The Pinnacle Group, which provides cleaning and security services, and PA Housing, which runs the flats, both deny the claims.

But Chris said the 10 per cent of residents who are now refusing to pay service charges want to be refunded.

They are calling for £500 for each home for the past three years.

Chris said: “We want a refund for the money paid for a service we haven’t received.

“We want a proper and legal consultation about security here. We have serious anti-social behaviour which our landlord doesn’t deal with.

“There’s piles of filth around the estate, there’s pigeon faeces everywhere, there’s rats and mice running around, there’s thick mould in communal areas, there’s leaks running down the walls. It’s like Dickensian conditions.”

While residents continue to pay their rent, they have stopped paying their service charges since the beginning of the month.

For Chris this amounted to a payment of £30 a week.

A spokesman for Pinnacle said: “Our service includes the provision of a dedicated cleaner, who completes a schedule of cleaning for both Canada Court and Clifton Lodge over the course of a week.

“If security is ever requested on an ad hoc basis, we can confirm that all of our security staff hold valid SIA Accreditation.

“We will continue to work with our client and the residents to address and resolve any service issues as and when they are reported to us.”

A spokeswoman for PA Housing said: “Canada Court and Clifton Lodge are both well maintained and regularly cleaned by our maintenance contractor.

“They are contracted to clean both blocks Monday to Friday during the hours of 8.30am to 5.30pm and on a Saturday from 8am to 1pm.

“The service operates with a dedicated cleaner for the site who moves through both blocks completing a schedule of cleaning over the course of a week.”

They added that they will continue working closely with residents to “deliver clean, tidy and well-maintained communal areas.”

Pictured top: Chris Sayudu