I could lose my home because I can’t afford the repairs

A HEALTHCARE professional who bought two apartments to help with her retirement plans fears the bill for safety work could cost her her home and career.

Khalida Ali, 58, could be liable — through no fault of her own — for work costing £ 136,000 at her investment properties, which have defective or missing firebreaks in the walls.

Because the problems do not involve cladding, the addresses at the Millennium Point and XQ7 buildings in Salford Quays, Greater Manchester, are not eligible for help from the Government’s Building Safety Fund.

Khalida (right), a single mother of two grown-up sons, says she does not have the money to fund the work and is ‘worried sick’ she will be held liable and made bankrupt — which could mean she loses her own home and is no longer allowed to practise.

She adds: ‘I bought my properties to fund my retirement. I was a single mum so worked really hard to save. I was hoping to build a pot of money so I could retire and fund any future care I might need, so I wouldn’t be a burden on my children.’

Khalida says she has ‘always tried to ensure the flats are kept in good condition and make whoever is in them feel like it’s their home’.

She has tenants in her Millennium Point flat and ‘constantly worries’ about their safety. The second address, in the XQ7 building, is currently unoccupied because of repairs needed in the bathroom. She is unable to fund these, because the fire safety issues mean she cannot remortgage to raise the money.

Khalida, who took out home loans in 2013 and 2014, says: ‘I don’t have a great pension, which is the reason I bought these properties. I always assumed they would be safe places to invest in.

‘Now I risk losing my home if I cannot pay for the repairs, as it is collateral against the rental homes. Bankruptcy could mean I lose my job because it affects my fitness to practise. The management company is trying to track down the developer but I don’t even know who that company is. I can’t believe that relatively new properties could be affected by this issue.

‘The developer and those enforcing building regulations have not done their jobs properly. I just feel it’s wrong that it’s landing on my shoulders. Where do I go for the money? I don’t think I’ve had any nights of proper sleep for weeks.’