People living in a block of Toxteth flats hit by an “illegal eviction” attempt have claimed they have faced issues with repairs at the building.
One resident shared footage of water pouring out of the ceiling light at Parliament Place on Upper Parliament Street in Toxteth earlier this year. Residents have told the ECHO of a series of issues including damp and leaks at the block, alongside claims of “ridiculous delays” in getting repairs carried out.
One resident, who has lived in the building since 2020 and asked not to be named, said water had been left coming out of a ground floor ceiling earlier this year following a leak from the floor above, with residents struggling to get hold of the maintenance team to address the problem, although this was later rectified by the block’s management company Urban Evolution.
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Earlier in the year tenants told the ECHO they were also left without hot water in the middle of winter for days after a problem with the boiler at the block. Residents said they reported the issue through an online app provided for contacting Urban Evolution, but didn’t hear back “for days.”
The concerns were raised with the ECHO by tenants over the management of the building after residents were left “fearing for the future” after an apparent attempt last month to remove them from the block.
Residents were given a matter of weeks to leave the building and told serious fire safety issues had been discovered at the block.
The move prompted some of the residents to get in touch with their local MP Kim Johnson, who in turn contacted Liverpool Council.
In a response from interim chief executive Theresa Grant, seen by the LDRS, Ms Grant said residents were being advised to stay in the building and that the council were investigating the matter as an “illegal eviction.”
Ms Grant said: “The council’s interim divisional manager – neighbourhood development advises that her team are investigating this matter as an illegal eviction and therefore will be advising residents to stay in their properties.
“We are also writing to the responsible person now by email to explain that their conduct is not appropriate and falls far below any behaviour we expect of our private sector landlords and desist with the illegal removal of tenants.”
The notice to leave was later rescinded.
One leaseholder, who owns one of the apartments in the block, later revealed communications from the asset manager of Schloss Roxburghe just weeks before the eviction attempt.
An email from Prime Management Group Ltd that has been seen by the LDRS said attempts would be made to get residents out of the building in order to facilitate a contract with Serco as part of the Home Office’s emergency assistance programme.
Serco later confirmed it had been in discussions about using Parliament Place but the ECHO understands it withdrew after issues were discovered while carrying out due diligience.
Residents have said that prior to the eviction attempt, there were numerous problems with the block, many of which arose after a concierge previously based at the building stopped attending, meaning it became “much more difficult” to get problems addressed.
The loss of the concierge had also meant post and parcels have been left “just hanging about” in the communal lobby at risk of being damaged, lost or stolen, residents said.
Residents said that problems with the back door of the building being “kicked in” by people “taking drugs” on the top floor of the building had also been exacerbated by the lack of staff on site.
The block’s management company, Urban Evolution, took over running of the the building after Elliot Lawless, who owned the building through his company Parliment [sic] Place Ltd, ended its contract with the previous management agent, Urban Bubble in 2020.
The building is now owned by Isle of Man-based Schloss Roxburghe Holdings Ltd.
Many of the tenants in the block have their tenancies managed through Urban Evolution, while others rent directly from the leaseholders or via alternative management companies.
Some of the residents have access to an app to report maintenance issues at the building, while others say they have to rely on neighbours to report problems for them.
One resident told the LDRS: “It’s just such a ridiculous situation that I have to knock on my neighbour’s flat to get the building maintenance to sort out an issue because my tenancy isn’t managed by Urban Evolution.”
Another said: “It’s like a lesson in how not to run a building.”
The CEO of Urban Evolution, Ross Spencer, told the ECHO he was unable to comment on general issues raised but was “proud” of the work Urban Evolution carried out at the block.
Mr Spencer said: “Many factors need to be considered when assessing maintenance issues and resolution times hence why it is of absolute necessity incidents alluded to are identified and assessed independently.”
He shared with the ECHO a series of documents including maintenance and repair logs showing response times to queries raised through the app used by tenants, as well as other supporting documents which Mr Spencer said showed the “efforts that go into managing the scheme effectively.”
Mr Spencer said: “It’s not unusual for buildings of this size and with young active tenants in to have ongoing maintenance issues, lifts often get damaged, problems with local youths and vandals are a common problem in L8.
“We have a dedicated team who respond to problems quickly, instructing works at the earliest opportunity. Sometimes repairs are delayed for reasons outside of our control, whether it be waiting for parts or specialised labour.”
While Mr Spencer said he was unable to comment on general issues raised about the state of the building. In relation to the water pouring through the ceiling, he said it was his understanding that this had been responded to promptly.
Mr Spencer said: “We cannot stop issues from occurring we have no control over this, all we can do is respond quickly and take the appropriate action. We believe the incident happened on Saturday 14th January, with a leak occurring from a first floor studio to the ground floor stairwell area. The issue was reported at 11.07am and resolved by 2pm by UE maintenance.”
Commenting on the boiler issue, Mr Spencer said the repairs had taken four days to be fixed after it failed on January 5. He said the company’s heating service provider had attended the same day, but due to delays in getting replacement parts, the hot water was not reinstated until January 9.
He said there was still one boiler on the site that was functioning during this time but that it was “overworked at peak times which resulted in a lack of hot water.” He said tenants were regularly updated on the situation via a message on the building’s noticeboard and via email.
Mr Spencer said the concierge had been removed “to reduce the service charge budget” and said residents could have parcels delivered to an alternative apartment scheme nearby or take delivery themselves, adding: “there are posters around the building informing tenants of this.”
In relation to the gate issue and concerns over anti social behaviour, Mr Spencer said the gate had been repaired in early April, and antisocial behaviour issues had been reported to the police.
He added: “We have worked to stop unwanted visitors to [Parliament Place] by stepping up controls. Also in the past we have determined what tenants was letting in the visitors and evicted him from the property. We have installed extra CCTV in the stairwells so we can monitor 24/7.”
He added that security had recently joined a tenant WhatsApp group where security issues can be reported.
Mr Spencer said that information regarding emergency contacts and reporting of repairs has been relayed to tenants with contact details available on the buildng’s noticeboard.
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