Navigating the Nightmare: The Ongoing Struggle of Chapelle Crescent Homeowners

Frances Reid stands before her now condemned property

PLEASE JOIN OUR 'UK RAAC CAMPAIGN GROUP' FB PAGE

PLEASE SIGN OUR PETITION (CLICK HERE)

In the serene suburb of Chapelle Crescent in Tillicoultry, homeowners like Frances Reid are grappling with the fallout of a housing crisis that has left them displaced and disillusioned. Ms Reid's poignant account, shared through a series of correspondences and emails, sheds light on the myriad challenges faced by residents caught in the crossfire of bureaucratic indifference and systemic failures.

The saga began on 26th September, 2023, when Ms Reid, like many others, was abruptly evacuated from her property, by council officers accompanied by the local police, because of unsafe Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC) panels in her roof. She recounts the frantic scramble to gather essential belongings, only to be met with conflicting advice and a sense of betrayal. Despite assurances from council employees, Reid found herself thrust into a state of homelessness, her future uncertain and her possessions scattered to the winds.

Metal hoarding and remote CCTV signs adorn here former home.

Ms Reid desired to retrieve additional personal belongings and address various tasks such as securing the fridge, meter readings, and managing stored items after her evacuation from her property. She received advice via phone call indicating that she should prepare belongings for a period of seven days, which was later confirmed by another council employee during a visit to her property. Ms Reid sought permission to be present at the property to guide the individual tasked with accessing and retrieving her belongings, emphasizing the need for more than 90 minutes to complete the process. She expressed frustration, believing she had been misled regarding the advice given to her at the time of her exclusion. Fran reiterated her intention to attend on Friday, October 6th, and be present in the car park with a van to facilitate the removal of necessary items.

Additionally, Fran requested a copy of the council's displacement policy to inform her lawyer and insurance company of her situation and any potential out-of-pocket expenses. Despite her inquiry, she did not receive any documentation from the council. Furthermore, Fran sought clarification regarding charges for homeless accommodation, as this matter remained unclear to her. However, she later discovered that she was responsible for paying council rent and continuing mortgage payments, adding to her financial burden.

Furthermore, Fran requested access to minutes of meetings concerning her property and any planned future works. To date, she has not received any information on these matters. This request was made via email on November 30th, 2023, following a council meeting where homeowners affected by RAAC was discussed.

As a homeowner from Chapelle Crescent in Tillicoultry, Ms. Reid found it both interesting and frustrating to sit in the public gallery listening to various council discussions about her property. The experience was limiting because, although the matters discussed directly affected her, she was not allowed to speak or respond to any points raised.

Ms. Reid realized that Chapelle Crescent had likely been the subject of previous meetings, both public and private, due to the ongoing degradation issues that had persisted with poorly built homes for years. Several councillors appeared well aware of the situation and compared her estate to a similar e residential building in Sauchie that had been demolished some years earlier.

Displaced from her home of 16 years, Ms. Reid, at 57 years old, suddenly found herself homeless and living in a bedsit. This was despite having worked her entire life to support herself and pay for a mortgage on minimum wage. She continues to pay off her mortgage for a shuttered, dangerous building, along with utility bills that have yet to be switched off.

Ms. Reid said, “I'm dealing with the emotions involved in bricks and mortar, my future uncertain, and with some of my belongings from my life fractured and spread in several directions, with some possessions I may never see again, whilst still waiting for reports and decisions.”

Ms. Reid is disturbed that she has still not had the privilege of seeing the records of decisions regarding the plight of RAAC homeowners. She can only comment on the points raised and discussed with local people. Communication improved when some councillors began sharing some information, but she is now inherently distrustful and feels she has been blatantly lied to since the beginning of this unfortunate series of events on 26th September 2023.

Ms Reid alleges that when she was evacuated, she was told to take enough items for 6-7 days. She was called at work and was in a state of shock and despair. “I left my home with three changes of clothing, the shoes on my feet, and the jacket on my back whilst the dangerous building notice had already been written but not presented. I called a friend who kindly offered me his small sofa, sympathy, and his excited dog, but it was not conducive to a restful night’s sleep in preparation for a long, hard day at work.”

She was left with no option but to present herself as homeless. She is aggrieved with the council officers' wording of "choosing to go down the homeless route."

“I certainly did not choose to be in this position for an uncertain and unspecified time. Not everyone has family or friends with a spare room able to accommodate a homeless, displaced person. When I locked my door on that surreal night, I asked, ‘No one will be going into my home without me, will they?’ I was told no, but since that night, the only time I have seen my home has been on a phone camera while removal men were collecting items from a written list of my small, portable priority possessions in a limited time - accumulated over 16 years of my life”

The officers involved in removing items from her home and the removal men were supportive and kind in dealing with an immensely difficult and emotional situation. However, Ms. Reid states that nothing can lessen the impact of how that intrusion feels. The process was recorded, but repeated requests for the footage have failed to materialize.

Not all tenants, whether council or private, have been given suitable alternative accommodation, highlighting an ongoing housing crisis from which Ms. Reid now finds herself suffering. She believes the council has a moral responsibility, as factors and majority owners of her property, to support her as a homeowner equally to a council tenant, especially since they had promoted and encouraged residents to purchase homes under the Government’s Right to Buy scheme.

"If the council were unaware of the RAAC elements in the building until a homeowner commissioned and paid for the first report, they should have been," she noted. "We would all still be living in a dangerous building and at risk if not for the homebuyer report. The council was aware of the roof damage, asbestos, and lack of repairs which have been ongoing for years, so if this fact was not in the paper presented at the council meeting, I would like to point that out."

Moreover, it was only recently discovered through a Freedom of Information request to Clackmannanshire Council, that 'the council is now not registered as Factors of the building but is merely 9 out of 12 owners acting as a majority'. "We were never informed of this change of position, and I can only assume or suspect the reasons behind this are financial and to the detriment of all residents in the block," Ms. Reid added.

Ms. Reid has highlighted the duplicitous nature of the council's response to the RAAC scandal. She pointed out that she and other homeowners continued to pay for electricity, gas, and water bills for up to three months after their properties had been condemned. When Ms. Reid eventually asked the council why these utilities had not been switched off earlier, she was told that they "did not think of it." This oversight by the council significantly heightened public safety risks by failing to switch off gas and electricity, a near-miss situation that could have resulted in a safety catastrophe.

When the affected families approached utility companies, they were told that as homeowners, they were still liable for the bills. This added financial burden compounded the distress and uncertainty faced by residents already grappling with displacement and the threat of homelessness. Mrs. Reid's experience underscores the need for more thorough and empathetic handling of such crises by the council.

Ms. Reid was advised to contact her insurers for help, but she found that insurers would not cover the costs of RAAC renovations. Her insurance policy stipulated that the building should be maintained in a good state of repair, but even during the time Clackmannanshire Council were the factor, they failed to maintain the building. Additionally, her policy required that the property should not be left unoccupied for more than 30 consecutive days. By the time the council advised her to seek an insurance claim, it had been over 70 days.

Ms. Reid emailed all her local councillors for help after it was stated in a public meeting that all councillors present were available and willing to assist in any way they could. However, she never received any responses to her emails. The Association of British Insurers stated that they denied claims because there was no insured cause or named peril. Building insurance policies are generally designed to cover damage from perils, which do not include defects arising from the choice of building materials, such as RAAC. Since the local council inspected the building and evacuated the property deeming the roof unsafe—not because of an insured incident—policies are invalid, and no cover is provided. They recommend that local homeowners contact the local council to see what support they can offer.

Ms. Reid now has a mortgage on her property, which she is still paying for. Her insurance policy is up for renewal this month, and she is left wondering who is going to insure her with a dangerous building notice, boarded-up windows, and no access.

Ms. Reid has stated that Cllr. Jane McTaggert told her she was lucky the council was helping and holding public meetings, rather than having to deal with the issue on her own. However, Ms. Reid disagrees with this position. She is particularly concerned that the council did not inform residents that they were no longer acting as Factors.

The council liaison with local residents is Mr. Wilson Lees, Team Leader of Community Safety, Support, and Advice Services. He stated that as the majority owners of her property, the council has the majority decision-making power. Whether the council decides on remedial works or demolition, the decision will be based solely on cost, not sentimental value, as Mr. Lees told her.  He seemed to lack any empathy.

Ms. Reid also inquired about a Displacement Fund that the council used to offer, but Mr. Lees confirmed that it no longer exists. This added to her frustration and sense of abandonment by the council during a time when she needed support the most.

Mr. Chowdhry, Chairman of the UK RAAC Campaign Group, expressed strong condemnation of the council's treatment of Tillicoultry homeowners:

"The treatment of Tillicoultry homeowners has been disgraceful. The council has waltzed into their properties, told them to leave within two hours, accompanied by police officers in what seems an excessively brutal and abrupt process. The council failed to provide them with any advice, only later holding two unminuted public meetings and continues to prevent them from representing themselves during formal council meetings—democracy at its worst.

"Residents do not know if they should continue to pay for insurance for properties that have now been empty for months, and many cannot find any companies willing to renew. Homeowners will become mortgage prisoners, only able to renew mortgages with existing companies and will be paying extortionate costs. Worse still, information on what, how much, or if any compensation will be paid for their homes is vague and lacking. It's just appalling."