Southampton neighbours in broken-down flats want action

Kingsland Court residents said they have been without a communal kitchen for months, have a broken main entrance door, have been unable to use the communal living room or garden due to leaks and have a lift with buttons falling off - despite this only being fixed' weeks ago.

Saxon Weald has apologised and given a timeline for the repairs - but residents have still been left feeling "angry and disgusted" as they continue to pay their service charges.

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83-year-old resident, Audrey White has lived in the building for 24 years (Image: Newsquest)

Audrey White, 83 said: "I have lived in this building for nearly 24 years. 

"It used to be a good place to live, but now this building is deteriorating. 

"We are paying service charges annually for repairs and maintenance of this building, but we have not seen any evidence of repairs for a long time.

"We are fed up with poor service.

"We want everything, basically; all the repairs need to be done as soon as possible, not left like they are."

READ MORE: Hythe mum 'worried' for son's health after flat covered in mould

A button in the lift has fallen off and needs to be repaired (Image: Newsquest)

Meanwhile, her daughter Gina Reed has been raising these ongoing issues with the building's warden but claims that she has received no support. 

Expressing her disappointment, the 55-year-old said: "The warden is not bothering to call tenants to see if they are keeping well like they are supposed to. They get paid to do nothing.

"I go around the building and report if something is broken and needs fixing. 

"Our main entrance door is stiff and never shuts properly. I reported this problem last year in March. It has still not been fixed and has gotten considerably worse over time. 

"The buttons in the lift fall out of the panel, and our communal areas have been closed due to a water leak. 

"The communal kitchen has been closed since October last year, and it's still not in a good state because of the leak." 

The kitchen's roof needs to be fixed after being damaged by a water leak (Image: Newsquest)

The closure of the communal kitchen has had a cascading effect, denying residents access to other shared spaces like the communal lounge area and back garden. 

Gina added: "My mum and other people can't enjoy the garden or the lounge because of repairs that should have been sorted out a long time ago. 

READ MORE: Southampton Tenants Union forms to help tenants with landlords

Phil Taylor, 55, has lived in the building for 16 years (Image: Newsquest)

Another Kingland Court resident, Phil Taylor, also voiced his concerns and said: "We need some professionalism from the management and a proper system for checking the building out. 

"Somebody needs to go around, and you need to know if they've looked at all these things."

He said he found it "slightly disappointing" that Saxon Weald was being paid to do a job but was not doing it, adding: "I think it's a disgrace not to look after a building." 

Notice put up on the main entrance door after it was broken (Image: Newsquest)

Addressing the concern of the residents, Saxon Weald expressed regret over the extended timeline for resolving the problems at Kingsland Court.

A spokesperson for the firm said: "We have been taking action and are confident that we are nearly at the completion point. 

"The leak affecting the communal areas needed several visits to identify the source and fix the problem. This has been completed, and work to make good on the affected communal area is scheduled for July 18.

"The issue with the roof has also been resolved, with the resulting damage to the ceiling being repaired on July 11. 

"The lift buttons were fixed some weeks ago, but one button has since fallen off, so our contractor will be re-attending. 

"Finally, in respect of the front door, we were alerted to this issue on April 21, 2023. We have since made several temporary repairs to make it usable while waiting for a part. 

"We’re sorry this has taken some time to arrive and will be attending to permanently fix the problem as soon as possible. 

"The scheme manager has been keeping residents regularly updated with progress as we know that these issues are, rightly, a concern."