The Salvation Army has been accused of acting as a “landlord”, leaving some of its private tenants in Hadley, Essex, at “serious” risk for at least seven years. Some of the charity’s tenants tell their stories here:
– I did not have heating. I didn’t have water ‘
Peggy Jane Smith, 58, has lived in a two-bedroom penthouse on the first floor since 1983.
When she first started renting the property, it felt like going back to her roots: she was born in a house nearby and her first outdoor trip was when her mother took her to the ruins of Hadleigh Castle.
“When I first moved here, I was so grateful to have this place. I felt so lucky. And part of that feeling was, I thought I had the Salvation Army as a landlord, “she said. “Perfect, perfect. I thought there would be no bad attitude here.
But now she has been complaining about the condition of her home for most of the decade. One complaint is related to an attack by rats in the property below.
“The manager of the estate at the time told me there were no rats. “Obviously there were rats,” she said. “There were floods. I didn’t have heating. I did not drink water. There is [the Salvation Army’s] the attitude too … they will ignore me … this is their way of treating me, ignoring me or showing contempt when they talk to me. “
The most serious problem with Smith’s home is the danger of fire, with an insecure kitchen and very little to prevent the spread of fire to the next penthouse on her neighbor’s top floor or vice versa.
“There is no party wall between the two attics and as a result there is a risk of fire,” she said. “The party wall itself has a huge, big crack … it’s a terrible risk of fire. It is only half a brick wide. There’s a boarded-down door downstairs, which is also a fire hazard… The list goes on… there are things that really needed to be addressed immediately. ”
She added: “It makes you wonder how much respect they actually have for their tenants.
Despite the problems, Smith does not want to leave his home. “I have lived here for 38 years and I love my home… My mother just lives on the road. I take care of my mother. My friends are here. My neighbor is my friend. What move where? This is my home, “she said.
Peggy Jane Smith: “It makes you wonder how much respect they actually have for their tenants.” Photo: Guardian / ITV News
“We feel neglected, forgotten about”
David Lawn, 52, moved into a two-house Salvation Army home with his parents and siblings in the 1980s when he was a teenager and still lives there with his 88-year-old mother, Rita. For years, they suffer a hole in the roof, which leads to constant moisture inside the house.
“It hurts, [we feel] neglected, forgotten, “he said. The windows need urgent care, he said. There is “the problem with moisture, obviously the roof, because we have to keep the heat in the house. Don’t blow up the house. Windows and doors do not fit properly … [I] there must be heating 24 hours a day to keep the house warm [in the winter]”
Rita, a Christian who lives with him and suffers from arthritis and angina, had to move her bedroom downstairs to avoid the worst of the problems.
She said: “[The Salvation Army treated us] bad, but at the same time sorry for them. Because they do not realize what harm they are doing and what harm they are doing to other people. Not just me, all our neighbors… It really hurts. ”
Rats in the attic
Barry Bull has lived on the Salvation Army property in Hadley for 40 years – and has worked as a milkman on the charity’s farm for 30 years. His daughter says his last years were spent working with a cold and parasitic property while he was suffering from stomach cancer.
Tracy Longcroft described her treatment of her father in the Salvation Army as “disgraceful”, adding that the charity had never corrected the poor condition of the apartment.
She said the problems included rats in the attic, insect attacks, gaps between the windows and windows that expose the house to the weather and leave it extremely cold in winter, poor heating systems and dangerous electricity.
The Salvation Army issued an “unconditional apology” to Hadley’s tenants, adding that “we have been working on an emergency plan for several months to bring these properties to the right standard.”
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