Home grants leave a trail of frustration

Over 700 residents have received £500 home maintenance grants since the project started in 2004. On the face of it the scheme is a brilliant idea; Small grants for essential maintenance work carried out using local builders.

But the scheme has left a trail of angry residents in its wake as people complain about work not finished, poor quality and over inflated prices. Dianne Johnson of Fox Street informed us that she’d had guttering replaced as well as work on the chimney. She had to ask the contractors to return three or four times, before she was happy.

Dianne told us:

“The first time the chimney wasn’t right and needed pointing again, then the guttering wasn’t flush with next door.The third time they came to remove the rouble of the roof.We also made sure the work carried out did not reach more than the allocated amount of £500. If I’d had to pay anything myself I would not have been happy with the standard of work

carried out, not at all.”

Neighbour Ivy Brown explained that after watching them do her neighbours she didn’t want the work done.

“I watched them paint my neighbours downstairs window sill, without cleaning or prepping.Then they went to the sill directly above, meaning dust and bits went all over the sill they’d just painted below. The council inspector told me he would watch and supervise my work himself, but he never came back.They didn’t prep or even remove the old paint from my windows either and now the new paint is peeling away.”

Ivy also told us they had very little and spent most of the time going out to fetch and buy to complete each job. The total cost of the work was £554. “I only had my guttering cleaned and one coat of cheap paint on the Window sills and sandstone lintels front and rear,” she explained. Sharon from Scott Road is not happy either, as no work has started on her house yet and the grants scheme is due to finish at the end of August, she said:

“I am worried I will lose the grant and that the work will be rushed and not very good quality.The builders promised to start ten days ago and I am still waiting.”

Another Scott Road resident is fed up because the builder didn’t finish her pointing and then the Council signed off without checking the builder had come back to finish the job properly. Hilary, also of Scott Road, lost out on her grant, as the builder quoted over £700 for decorating the back of her house. She knows that last time she had the house painted it cost her about £250, so she thinks that some of the builders see this as an opportunity to scam money out of the Council.

We did find one resident on Scott Road who is really pleased with the work done, Mr Khan said:

“It was done quickly, within a week and was of a

good quality”.

He had nothing but praise for KK Builders. But Paul of Abbeyfield Road, told us:

“I was quoted £500 to get only one new window fitted, but eventually got the Council to agree that I could use my own builder who fitted two new

windows for the same price, it was better quality work and value for money”.

He wrote to the Council to complain, they responded saying the customer feedback forms suggest people are all happy with the scheme. Another Abbeyfield Road resident said that the painting that was done on their house was not finished properly but the Council signed off his house as there was confusion over what works were included in the schedule. While Ray, from Grimesthorpe Road had his gutters replaced under the scheme two years ago and even though the builders have been back three times to mend them – they still leak.

Mr Ghulam Nabi of Brunswick Road has refused to sign any documents to say he is satisfied with the grant works.

“I asked them to paint the lower stone lintel and they haven’t touchedthem. They’ve painted the window sills and only the middle concrete border instead of all of them.”

Mr Nabi’s front door had not been painted and the facia given one brush with a cheap coat of white paint. The recast step to the front door that has not been made level and infact looks like it’s never been recast at all (pictured below). Mr Nabi has also been left with a £300 bill.

“I was told by one builder to buy my own paint and do the front door myself, it’sclear from looking, that this job has not

been completed.”

Amelda Wallace of Rock Street said:

“They should have just given us the money and allowed us to employ and have the work done ourselves. They did not do the work to my property properly at all.” Amelda has refused to sign off for the work and pay the bill of £565.

“If they came back and did it properly I would pay.”

We received the following response from Maura Branney, Assistant Regeneration Manager, in the Council’s Private Sector Housing: As with all Council schemes, residents have been given the opportunity to offer feedback on the scheme and encouraged to express their level of satisfaction. Response to the customer satisfaction survey has been extremely positive with 92% of respondents expressing their satisfaction and support for the scheme. We are concerned that some residents are not satisfied with the quality of work and we ask that any residents who experience difficulties should contact the team directly, providing the Council with an opportunity to investigate the cause of complaint and take appropriate action.

If anyone has any issues which they feel have not been addressed please contact Project Co-ordinator Mr Lannaman on 273 4623 or write into the East Renewal Team at 3rd Floor, Howden House, 1 Union Street, Sheffield S1 2SH.

by Rob Smith & Clare Burnell