Home Group slammed for work delays after pipe bursts at Rawcliffe home

Jenni Dawson said she and her family are “living in limbo” as they wait to hear about the work after a bath pipe burst at the property in Rawcliffe on Saturday, July 27.

She called on Home Group, which manages the property, to provide a schedule of when the remaining works will be carried out, adding that this should be done in a “timely manner”.

The housing association’s head of maintenance apologised for the delay and said its contractor was arranging for all outstanding jobs to carried out.

Jenni Dawson and her mother in happier times (Image: Supplied)

Miss Dawson lives at the property with her mother, a 60-year-old carer and cleaner, and stepfather, a 55-year-old data analyst for Royal Mail.

Speaking to The Press, the 30-year-old, who has lived at the single storey two-bedroom property for 15 years, said the pipe burst when no one was there.

She was told about it by a neighbour and rushed home afterwards.

Miss Dawson, who works at a nursery, said the burst pipe left a hole in the ceiling under where it happened and resulted in about two inches of water building up on the floor of the kitchen below.

The hole in the ceiling under where the pipe burst (Image: Supplied) She contacted Home Group and a plumber and electrician were at the property within four hours.

The electrician made the lighting safe that was in the ceiling, under where the pipe burst, and the plumber repaired the pipe.

Miss Dawson said she does not know why the pipe burst and has not received a plumber’s report to offer any further answers.

The ceiling after the hole was repaired (Image: Supplied) Despite not having this report, Miss Dawson said her own insurance company accepted her contents insurance claim and paid out accordingly.

But she claims that Home Group is being “very difficult” about arranging for repairs to be carried out.

She criticised the length of time taken to carry out the repairs, saying: “We’re living in limbo, waiting on phone calls daily – it’s not acceptable.”

She said a kitchen cupboard and kitchen worktop need to be replaced.

Damage left in the downstairs of the house after the pipe burst (Image: Supplied) The hole in the ceiling has been plastered over, she said, but requires sanding and painting.

Bathroom flooring needs to be laid, and the bath panel must be replaced.

And the whole downstairs flooring needs to be replaced, as do two doors.

Miss Dawson said, given the time that has passed since the pipe burst, everything has dried out at the property.

Inside a kitchen cupboard which needs replaced at the property (Image: Supplied) She explained that she has lodged a complaint with Home Group for the way the repairs have been handled

After doing so, she said three people, including a contractor, visited her at the property on Monday, September 16. They took photographs of the damage and measurements of the floor while there, she added.

“They [Home Group] have the measurements now,” Miss Dawson said. “We’re a working household, we expect them to arrange with us and the contractors when they will carry out the work.

“We’re stuck following a procedure of complaints that doesn’t seem to be going anywhere.

“It’s about time they took it more seriously.”

She also claims that the work has been badly managed, with tradespeople arriving to make repairs that have already been carried out.

Miss Dawson said the family is considering paying for the repairs themselves using their rent money, then billing Home Group for the rest.

“We will have to go down that route if they [Home Group] don’t accept that what they have done is wrong.”

'Our contractor is arranging all outstanding jobs,' says Home Group's maintenance boss

After The Press contacted Home Group with Miss Dawson’s claims, Matt Pattison, the company’s head of maintenance for the North East and Yorkshire at Home Group, told us: “I can fully understand our customer’s frustrations, and would like to apologise for the delay in dealing with these issues.

“I’m pleased that we resolved the burst pipe issue within hours of it happening and our contractor has undertaken works already. I understand some extra works have also needed to be assessed and a visit was undertaken at the customer's home last week.

"Some repairs have not been arranged as quickly as we would expect, and that’s not acceptable. I am now looking into why that is, and we will speak to our customer to let them know what has happened. We are also addressing any failings through our complaints process with the customer.

“In the meantime, our contractor is arranging all outstanding jobs and will be notifying the customer today (Thursday, September 26), of dates and times for all the works to be carried out. We will also make sure they are kept up to date throughout."