JUNKIES ARE USING CLOSE AS DUMPING GROUND FOR NEEDLES, CLAIMS TENANT Boiler hell is making family’s life a misery
We can’t live with mouldy walls and no hot water, says uncle
A family has been unable to bathe for a month after the boiler packed in at their leaky flat.
Stuart Miller, 38, says he has been forced to clean himself with wipes after showering became impossible.
The uncle told how the kettle needs to be boiled just to fill up a sink in his mouldy bathroom.
He also revealed how his niece almost stepped on a needle after drug addicts kicked in his close door.
Stuart explained: “We can’t live like this. It’s not right.
“We’re having to go to the chemist and buy 20 packs of wipes at a time.
“My girlfriend is having to visit her mum to get a shower and we’re relying on friends.
“There’s water pouring into the bathroom and running down the wall, even when it isn’t raining.
“We’re having to collect it in pots and pans and have to set our alarms every two hours to change them – even in the middle of the night.”
Stuart uses a power key to pay for electricity and says constantly boiling water and running electric heaters is leaving him skint.
He moved into the second-floor flat in Paisley’s Neilston Road 15 months ago and says problems have mounted up since then.
Stuart says he has made repeated calls to letting agents Pennylane Homes to complain about the faulty boiler.
They sent an engineer out, but Stuart claims the repair lasted just two days.
He added: “For the first few months, there were no problems at all.
“The landlord sold the flat on and since then, it’s been one thing after another.
“The close door has been kicked in and there are needles lying about all over the place.
“I have my nieces visiting me. The oldest is only two and she almost stepped on one. I just caught her at the last minute.
“There are cupboards in each of the landings and the needles get stashed in there or just chucked in the close”
A Penny Lane Homes spokesman said: “We are aware of issues with the property.
“The owner bought the property at the start of June and we have only managed it for the past month and a half.
“The boiler had a replacement part fitted around a month ago, costing more than £600.
“It did solve the issue for a short period.
“However, the issue returned and a new boiler was advised.
“The landlord is fully aware and we are awaiting instructions.
“The leak from the property above has been reported to the owners of that flat, which is empty.
“We do not own or manage the property above, causing difficulty in getting this resolved.
“There is no factor for this building, meaning that getting communal issues such as a broken security door fixed can be difficult.
“We are continuing to chase all matters as the management agent and are doing everything we can to bring this to a satisfactory conclusion.”