Emsworth flat flooding leaves artist feeling ‘fobbed off’ by Guinness’s ‘shocking’ property maintenance

Adrian Weston, 74, was woken at about 5am one morning by his neighbour, who alerted him to flooding in the house.

It was discovered that piles of rubbish had been left on the roof, and rain had meant that water had come ‘pouring’ down into the two properties and leaving Adrian’s flat ‘soaking wet’.

Adrian says that over the past 14 years, Guinness Housing has done no maintenance to the roof, despite residents paying for upkeep.

He said: ‘It’s disgraceful, over the 14 years they’ve done nothing at all,

‘It’s shocking, we’ve got damage - they’re doing nothing about that.

‘Guinness absolves any responsibility.

‘The Guinness attitude is ‘tough’ - I feel completely let down by Guinness.’

He added that someone was sent out to clear the gutters, and that 22 sacks of rubbish were cleared from the roof - work Adrian says should already have been done to prevent flooding.

A spokesperson from The Guinness Partnership said: ‘Following storms and heavy rainfall, a leak to the flat was reported to us on July 29.

‘Our contractors accessed the roof, clearing debris from the roof and guttering, and this work was completed by August 10.’

However, Adrian, who lives alone, said: ‘The whole way they behave is shocking. I feel like I’ve been fobbed off.’

‘We pay maintenance and they’re not doing it. We get nothing for it.’

An artist, Adrian said that a 20-year-old sketchbook of his work was ruined by the flooding.

He said: ‘I’m really annoyed about that.

‘They seem to want to have the most money for the least amount of work.’

Now, Adrian says he has been left to sort damages to repairs inside the flat caused by the leak.

He added: ‘I’d like to see a proper maintenance programme, and put right what’s been damaged. I need a new carpet - new painting, the flooring needs redoing.’

The Guinness Partnership spokesperson said that it is usual for homeowners to claim on insurance for repair or damage inside the home.

They added: ‘Guinness is responsible for carrying out maintenance and repairs to the roof area as required, and only charges homeowners when works are carried out.’

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

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