Sheltered housing residents furious over building conditions

Residents at Hartshorne Court, a sheltered housing scheme in Dawley, Telford, say they have been living with filthy communal areas, a broken emergency alarm system, and intermittent lift access for months.

The over-55 supported living facility, owned by Sanctuary Housing, has 33 flats with residents aged between 50 and 90. Concerns have been mounting since June, leaving many feeling isolated and vulnerable.

One resident said the communal lounge has been unusable since 25 June due to pest infestation. She also noted that there has been no cleaner since the middle of July.

“The communal corridors are dirty with dead flies and wasps. Communal toilets on the ground floor are disgusting,” she added.

Another resident, Jon, said the lack of a working lift has caused him personal difficulty. Jon, who has recently had a broken hip and femur, said his rehabilitation has been put back because he has been forced to use the stairs.

The lift frequently breaks down, isolating residents with mobility issues on the first and second floors.

A major concern for residents is the emergency pull cords in their flats, which have been out of action since Thursday 25 September due to a BT line issue. Residents cannot access help if they fall over.

Jon also claimed that weekly fire alarm checks, a legal requirement, have not been taking place. He added that the usual warden has been off ill and the housing manager has not been visiting the court once a week as expected.

Sanctuary Housing is also being accused of poor communication. Residents say they have had no clear timeline for when the issues will be resolved.

A spokesperson for Sanctuary said: “We are already addressing a number of the concerns raised and are committed to resolving any that are outstanding.

“A specialist contractor has been employed to carry out significant work in communal areas to bring them back into use and we will also continue to deal with any repair issues that are reported to us.”

“… the lift is working as it stands. We also have some extra work planned which should resolve the intermittent issues.”

The company added that they are “making regular welfare calls to our residents.” However, residents dispute that all tenants are receiving these calls.

Some residents have also contacted Shaun Davies, the Member of Parliament for Telford, to ask for his help.