The “devastated” victims of a Dalston fire last summer have demanded more support and transparency from their landlord as they wait to move back into their homes.
On 5 June 2024, residents “watched on in terror” as flames ripped through the Dalston Lane block of the Pembury Estate, displacing all 50 inhabitants.
In the immediate aftermath, the block’s owners, Peabody housing association, were already facing calls to do more – as tenants found themselves in unstable living situations and speculation mounted over the cause of the blaze.
Elizabeth Oppong, who works for Transport for London and whose husband has a health condition, said her family had been housed in four different places since the fire.
She told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) of her “terrible time” dealing with what remained of her scorched home.
“Our flat was on the top floor, so we lost everything,” she said, but when visiting the apartment in September, removal staff “broke [our] furniture up in front of my eyes and chucked it over the balcony. It was like our stuff was nothing, after 27 years.”
She added that they also refused to dispose of her fridge – which had stood dormant but packed with food in the freezer for three months – unless she cleaned it out first.
“There was rotting black liquid […] I can’t tell you how many insects were in there,” she said.
The first emergency accommodation the Oppongs were placed in was “infested with red ants”, and they have since been relocated to various Airbnbs. They are currently living in Stratford.
“I’m happy that they’ve put us in a nice place, but I’m now paying £80 a month for both my daughter and my son to get to school and college.”
Uncertainty has been a mainstay for the family, made worse by Peabody’s failure to renew their booking – resulting in them being asked on one occasion to leave at very short notice.
“At 6:30pm on 16 October I got a call from the owners, Skyvillion apartments, asking us to hand the keys back when we left in the morning,” Ms Oppong said.
Though able to stay in the end, “to go from having an assured tenancy to living on a rolling contract every 28 days – with no certainty that it’s going to be renewed – it’s just not a good way to live at all,” she added.
“Now I’m on tenterhooks every month.”
In a formal letter of complaint, Chair of the Pembury Tenants and Residents Association (TRA), Elizabeth Houghton told Peabody others had also found themselves stuck in this “limbo”. Some had even relied on their MP to contact Peabody’s CEO to find out if their booking was going to be renewed.
“The repeated failure to put in place appropriate governance systems for monitoring bookings and communicating bookings to residents, or of providing residents with contact details when NMs are absent, is inexcusable,” Dr Houghton said.
“This is basic business planning and the continued lack of it shows a systemic failure in Peabody’s ability to govern and manage itself.”
Disabled resident Kazi said her family was at a huge financial loss after the fire and had been placed in a “downsized, damp and cold” property that posed a risk to her son, who has chronic asthma.
“We just want to go home and put an end to this nightmare,” she said.
Another disabled resident, Neil, a veteran who works for the NHS, said he had at first been placed in accommodation without accessibility support, and had also had prized possessions thrown away by removers J.A. Steele – despite him asking them not to.
He and others say they were also previously told by the housing association to keep the receipts for any outfits bought to replace smoke-filled clothes, but “this promise has since been withdrawn”.
Resident Allyson Junes said many had relied on this commitment, and “its retraction has left us feeling unsupported and misled during an already challenging time”.
“Despite being responsible tenants who have consistently paid rent on time, we find Peabody only addresses our concerns when pressure is applied through MPs or the media,” Junes added.
Neil is convinced that the fire was caused by the building’s solar panels, which had not been declared in a past fire risk assessment (FRA).
Independent fire safety expert Arnold Tarling said this made the safety report “defective and dangerous”.
“The chance of a roof catching fire without them [the solar panels] would have been nil,” he told the BBC in July.
Dr Houghton claimed Peabody directors had “direct personal knowledge” since at least 2020 that other FRAs on the Pembury Estate contained false statements that “directly impacted the ability to accurately assess fire safety”.
She also criticised the association’s claims to have provided 35 “dedicated” neighbourhood managers (NMs) to support displaced residents, arguing that these staff members are under-resourced and do not have any local knowledge.
“Residents consistently complain about not being able to get in touch with their NMs, [who are] not responding to emails or phone calls,” she wrote.
“In cases where residents have managed to get in contact, different NMs have provided different information, again resulting in inconsistent support for displaced residents.”
She added that residents were told by London Fire Brigade (LFB) that the report on the cause of the fire had been delayed in part “because they are waiting for Peabody’s insurer to confirm a date to release evidence samples to be scientifically examined by independent experts”.
Peabody said it was “sorry for any confusion” regarding reimbursement, and encouraged residents struggling financially to contact them to potentially get extra support.
A spokesperson said: “We understand living in temporary accommodation is not ideal for any of the residents affected by the fire and we’ve been working hard to support them all.
“Every household has their own dedicated point of contact and is encouraged to raise any concerns directly with us. We also have a web page for residents, which we update regularly with the latest information.
“We want to help people move back in as soon as possible. Meanwhile, we’re doing everything we can to ensure everyone is comfortable.”
The spokesperson added that they were still waiting for the outcome of the LFB investigation and were unable to comment on the cause of the fire at this stage.
“We have always fully supported enquiries into the fire and continue to do so. We are as keen as residents to know the outcome of the investigation and we regularly contact the LFB to ask for updates,” they said.
“Neither we nor our insurance company are doing anything to delay the findings.
“We encourage anyone with any concerns about their accommodation, including delayed bookings or damp and mould, to contact us so we can help as soon as possible.”
In December, Dr Houghton asked the council cabinet if it was satisfied with how Peabody had supported residents in the months after the fire.
At the time, Cllr Sem Moema said the organisation had provided access to emotional and financial support “from the start”, and had been “in regular contact” with each household.
“Peabody states that their tailored support to the affected households will naturally remain in place for as long as it’s needed,” she said.
When asked by the LDRS if the council stood by these words in light of more recent complaints from residents, Cllr Moema said: “We have been liaising with Peabody and raising residents’ questions with them.
“I, along with ward councillors, will continue to support residents affected by the fire.”
