A Bulwell woman who fought for years to move into a council bungalow says the place was almost "derelict" when she moved in. Dawn Gayle, 59, previously lived in a three-bedroom council house in Bestwood but following the death of her husband five years ago, she began enquiring in 2019 about downsizing.
Things then became more urgent at the start of 2021 when doctors found cysts on her brain which can lead to regular and unexpected blackouts. Mrs Gayle therefore wanted to move closer to her family in Bulwell so they could be close by in case of an emergency, but also so she could provide some care to her elderly parents.
Mrs Gayle previously spoke to Nottinghamshire Live about her anger at the amount of time she was having to wait to move into a council bungalow. Nottingham City Homes said at the time that because Mrs Gayle was specific about wanting to be on the same street as her parents, this "restricted" the options available, hence the long wait.
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Dawn Gayle finally moved into a council bungalow near her family on November 17. But soon after moving in, she started noticing significant problems with the property.
She said: "There were leaks everywhere because the guttering outside was leaking and some of the radiators were leaking as well. I had to lock off the radiators and I was using an electric fire in my living room at a cost of £10 a day.
"Most of the bungalow was freezing and especially the bathroom, because I couldn't afford to have an electric fire on in every room of the place. Then on the first day I was there the window in the bedroom fell out, so the place really was a bit derelict.
"I'm obviously glad that I'm in the bungalow now because it's a lot safer for me, but this place was empty for 10 weeks before I got here so I can't understand why everything wasn't sorted then. It's just something else that I have to deal with."
Nottingham City Homes now says that most of the issues at the bungalow have been resolved, with two new radiators and a new boiler having been installed. But a replacement window for the bedroom will not be fitted until next month.
Dawn added: "I can't fault the people who have been coming to start sorting the problems out at all. I just don't get why the council couldn't have sorted these problems out before I got here and while the property was empty."
A Nottingham City Homes spokesperson said: "We have supported Mrs Gayle to move from her original property into the bungalow she's in now. We carried out a routine survey before she moved into the property in August. This identified a window that is ready to be replaced, so it's been ordered and will be fitted in January.
"Since moving in, Mrs Gayle has reported further, smaller issues to us which have all been completed. This week, we have also replaced two radiators and installed a brand new boiler."
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