Two years of hell in frozen, waterlogged ground-floor flat MY HOUSE OF HORRORS
Impasse over repairs leaves owner in limbo
AN ex-fitness instructor has faced “two years of hell” after his tenement began to collapse.
Arthur Gilmour, from Ibrox, has been living in a freezing, waterlogged home since 2013 after work stalled to fix the problems in his building.
His ground-floor home lies beneath three floors of flats with their bay windows missing after council officials ordered them to be taken down for safety reasons.
Arthur, 51, said he was made homeless after building control officials ordered the whole tenement to be evacuated in a matter of hours.
Six weeks later he was allowed back into his flat, but the next day a gaping hole appeared in the ceiling near his front door.
Arthur said he has since faced more problems, with a further two holes appearing in his ceiling in the last two years.
On one occasion, huge chunks of plaster fell down above his bed, exposing the wooden slats above.
He now sleeps on his two-seater couch for fear of more plaster coming down on him during the night.
Six weeks ago another hole appeared in his bedroom above the window, showering his floor with plaster and dust.
Arthur said: “During these crazy storms we’ve been having, water has been pouring in down the walls. It has destroyed everything.
“Loads of my stuff will just have to be thrown out because it’s all damaged.
“I’m so embarrassed by the state of the house, I don’t bring anyone in here anymore, not even my family.
“It has been like this for years, it’s a complete joke.”
Arthur said he had avoided repairing any of the inside problems as he says it is “pointless” due to the extent of the damage above his flat.
Several severe storms in the last six months have caused water to flood into his flat down the walls, causing damp and peeling wallpaper.
Neither the factors nor the council will take responsibility for the delays and blame the property owners.
A spokesman for Ross and Liddell, who are the building factors, said they had been trying to fix the problems for years but had been unable to get consent from all of the owners.
He said: “We have attempted for more than three years to proceed with essential repairs, but despite numerous meetings and the provision of structural engineers’ and surveyors’ reports we have been unable to secure consent as the owners have indicated they wish to implement their own repair scheme.
“Progress has been slow and we have remained in regular contact with the occupant of the ground-floor flat, asking on a number of occasions to instruct temporary repairs to the property.
“However, these offers have been refused.
“We would be happy to speak again to the occupant in order to alleviate the situation.”
A Glasgow City Council spokesman said: “The owners of the properties at this address have had the opportunity to take part in a voluntary repairs scheme but have not done so as yet.”
As reported last week by the Evening Times, another Ibrox resident feared being made homeless after his tenement was condemned by the council.
The local authority had taken action at the property on Elizabeth Street after they found the bay windows to be coming away from the wall outside. Home owners ran out of time to apply for grant funding, forcing the council to step in and carry out the work for them.
It is understood that a number of properties in the Ibrox area have had similar problems with their bay windows and have had to have them replaced, costing home owners thousands of pounds.