Woman unhappy with housing association who won't fix hole in floor as her house is too messy

A woman from the Whitley suburb of Reading in Berkshire has been left with a hole in her floor after her housing association refused to fix it because the house was too messy. Maria Birkett, 49, contacted Affinity Limited and asked them to mend a hole in the floor of her hall at her home. But when two workmen from Wates Group, sent by Affinity, attended the house they refused to mend the floor because they claimed "the property was not in a fit state to work in". A building services manager from Wates' and a housing officer from Affinity Limited then arrived after being notified and agreed with the workmen's' original assessment.
Ms Birkett said: "Two gentlemen came round to do repairs on a hole in the floor just outside my bathroom door. But they refused to do it because they said my house needed sorting out and tidying up. I couldn't find the key for the front door so I let them in the back. I asked for ID and they refused saying they were from Affinity. The housing officer then came round because the two workmen put in a complaint. She barged in and said I needed to sort out the washing up on the side, tidy the house and sort out the garden. She also tried to say that my house smelt and I told them that it is just cat litter." She added: “It just needs a little tidying up really.
“All they needed to do fix the hole just outside the bathroom door. There was nothing stopping them from doing it. The hole is so big that I could fall and break my neck. I have been living in a council house for 20 years, paying rent and council tax. All I want is my floor to be fixed." In response to Ms Birkett's claims, Affinity issued a statement which read: “We raised a job for our repair team to fix a hole about the size of a fifty pence piece in the hall floor. On arrival the workers were unable to go through the front door and had to access the property from the back door. Miss Birkett showed them the hole and they advised her that she would need to clear the area if they were going to be able to complete the job.

“Wates operatives carried out a dynamic risk assessment as the property was not in a fit state to work in and they advised Miss Birkett of the issues accordingly. The repair team advised they could not undertake any works, apologized and informed the tenant that she would be contacted by her housing officer. Wates’ Building Services Manager and an Affinity housing officer, were called by the repairs team who advised them of the situation. They then visited the property and agreed that the property was not in a fit state for the repairs to be safely carried out. It went on: Miss Birkett was offered some assistance with making the house suitable for the work to be done. Once the property has been cleaned, Wates will return and carry out any necessary repair works”.