Croydon Council Promises Sheltered Housing Repairs After Effluent Leak and Years of Heating Failures

Residents say years of repair issues have built up despite repeated complaints at College Green, a Croydon Council sheltered housing block in Upper Norwood. The issue is centred on two specific adjoining blocks, with one tenant describing effluent seeping through his ceiling, and others saying they have gone through nearly five winters with little or no hot water or heating.

Effluent leak left a College Green resident 'fighting for my survival'  

John Galt, a resident, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that his flat was flooded with what he later discovered was effluent seeping from the ceiling. The leak spread for weeks, affected the electrics, flooded a switch box and left him without power before it was eventually fixed, and remediation work began. 

Mr Galt has compared the conditions at College Green to those at Regina Road in South Norwood, the Croydon Council estate that became a high-profile mould and disrepair scandal in 2021 and is now up for redevelopment. He said the same issues he saw at Regina Road four years ago are now playing out at College Green and questioned whether the council had learned from the earlier crisis.

Years of heating, hot water and mould complaints   

At a neighbouring College Green block, long-term resident Etheline Byfield told the paper that many tenants had endured little or no hot water or heating for nearly five winters, despite surveys, meetings and repeated promises since 2020. She also raised concerns about damp and mould in some flats, and refurbishments expected in 2022 that residents say have still not been delivered. In the community room, a leak reportedly allowed black mould to climb the wall and damage a recently fitted carpet. 

Another resident, William Cayley, raised concerns about an automated gate to the bin store that had been left unsecured for months after promised repairs were delayed, creating what he described as a security risk for vulnerable residents. Local Liberal Democrat councillor Claire Bonham, who covers Crystal Palace and Upper Norwood, said she has spent three years challenging Croydon's housing teams and has called for a complete rethink of how repairs are managed. 

Croydon Council apologised for the disruption and said it had completed work on the leak affecting Mr Galt's home, which had required walls to be opened to find the source. Its teams were finishing internal repairs to affected homes, with temporary electric panel heaters provided to one property awaiting external insulation work to improve heating efficiency in the longer term. The council added that it had treated a small patch of mould after a report in October and identified no further work, that the damaged bin store gate had been referred to a specialist contractor, and that the block is checked daily by a caretaker.

What should councils do when repairs are reported?  

How Premier Legal Assist can help  

If you are a social housing tenant and your council or housing association has failed to deal with reported repairs, leaks, damp, mould or other housing issues, you may be able to make a housing disrepair claim. Premier Legal Assist works with specialist no-win, no-fee housing disrepair solicitors who handle council cases regularly. They can help you understand your rights, gather evidence, push for the repairs you are owed and pursue compensation where appropriate. 

To find out whether you may be eligible, complete our short claim form or message us on WhatsApp, and a member of our team will be in touch.