Social housing tenants scream for help as lift broken in tower block

By Charlotte Lillywhite, Local Democracy Reporter

Social housing tenants in a tower block say they’re “trapped” in their homes as the lift keeps breaking down.

People living in Wandsworth homes managed by housing association Optivo fear their building is a “fire hazard” and claim their toilets and heating don’t even work.

Residents of 27 Enterprise Way said that living in the block was a “nightmare”.

They said they have all been stuck in the lift, heard people screaming for help inside and seen residents crying on the stairs.

They said their new intercom system doesn’t work which means “anyone can come in” when residents have to leave the door ajar.

Edel, who didn’t wish to give her surname, said: “We’ve had 40 [lift] breakdowns and they’re not like one day or two days – we’re talking about a week, two weeks, months.”

The mum-of-three said: “It’s 16 flights of stairs to my floor. Trying to do daily things like shopping, deliveries, anything, it’s just impossible. There’s people who have got physical health issues and it really impacts their day-to-day life.”

She added: “I know my mental health has been affected by it massively, you can’t do normal things.” She called the maintenance of the building “very poor” and said she was “constantly fighting” for help from Optivo.

Residents said they had been moved into hotels temporarily when the lift breaks down.

Lisa Mbuanda, who lives on the seventh floor, said she had missed hospital appointments and is in a hotel “every summer”.

The 56-year-old said: “I don’t pay my rent for me to be stuck indoors. I can’t do anything.”

She said her health had got worse because of the problems. She said: “Just from this situation I’ve got heart problems already because all the time it’s frustrating.”

Manpreet, who didn’t wish to give her surname, said: “My mum got stuck in the lift. I’m claustrophobic. I got stuck in there. My daughter’s traumatised since we’ve moved in. She won’t even get in the lift, she takes the stairs.”

A spokesman for Optivo said: “Our staff are continuing to meet residents at 27 Enterprise Way to work through the issues related to their building.

“Although we’re not the freeholder or managing agent of the block, we’re working closely with our partners to address the concerns of residents living there.

“We apologise to our residents for the ongoing problems and resolving this long-term remains a top priority for us.

“We’ve overcome some significant engineering challenges with the lift and last week were able to return it to service. The lift has remained operational since that time and we’re expecting a more reliable service going forward.

“A new intercom system was fitted on Wednesday, September 7 and our staff confirmed on [the following] Monday it continues to function correctly. We would urge any residents having problems operating this to contact us.”

Picture: From left, Manpreet, Edel, Janet and Lisa Mbuanda outside 27 Enterprise Way (Picture: Charlotte Lillywhite)