A Glasgow dad has slammed his landlord after being forced to rip out his bathroom wall and fix a leak in the water tank himself as he waited for help to arrive.
Craig Smith had a 'major flood' in his flat, in north Glasgow, on February 14. It was caused by a nail in the water tank in his bathroom and he frantically called Queens Cross Housing Association for help.
But the 43-year-old is not satisfied with their response. It comes as his bathroom looks like a "building site" with exposed pipes, dampness and mould, four weeks on from the flood.
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The housing association told Glasgow Live they responded to Craig's call within four hours. But he says he had to take matters into his own hands and fix the leak himself, with strong blue tack, as it would've been a 'complete disaster' if he had waited four hours for help.
He said: "It was a horrendous time because the leak was coming from within an internal wall. I had to take down a lot and was panicking, water was everywhere.
"I phoned them as an emergency and nobody came about. I ended up having to rip the wall down myself and block the leak on my own with a blue tack, it was the strong stuff and I filled in the holes.
"Eventually, a plumber came out and said the system would need to be changed."
Craig pays Queens Cross Housing Association £350 rent each month, which he says is set to increase by £20 in April.
He is now calling on them to carry out the repairs as soon as possible. He is also concerned about his asthmatic five-year-old son who stays with him for six months.
Craig added: "The pipework from the walls is all exposed and it’s freezing in the bathroom. I asked them for a heater because the bathroom is absolutely freezing and was -10C at one point but they said I’m not entitled to one.
"My son doesn’t want to go to the toilet because it’s that cold there. All my bathroom is damp and mouldy now, it stinks and I have to keep the door closed constantly.
"It’s unbelievable and dangerous with the pipes exposed and the dampness, it’s shocking. I told them I am going to withhold my rent until the repairs are finished and up to standards.
"If that was an elderly lady it would’ve been a complete disaster, luckily I had tools and the initiative to block it."
Queens Cross Housing Association have apologised for the delay and said works have been scheduled for March 17.
A spokesperson said: “Our records show that we responded to Mr Smith’s call about the leak within 4 hours which is our aim for emergencies. The leak was caused by a nail in the water tank and our initial response was to make safe.
"The remedial work to reinstate the water supply was then completed.
"There are currently two outstanding works orders for a new bath panel and boxing in at the WC. Both works orders are scheduled for completion on 17th March.
“We recognise that it’s taken longer than we planned to have all the repairs to the bathroom finished and apologise for the delays.
"We will stay in close touch with Mr Smith until the jobs are complete to everyone’s satisfaction.”
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