A DILAPIDATED Elstead retirement housing scheme has been widely condemned by its long-suffering residents, who claim their pleas for repairs and standard maintenance are repeatedly shunned by landlord Anchor Housing. Despite some inhabitants at Guardian Court paying almost £500 a month in rent and maintenance fees for the 28-flat complex, residents chart a sorry tale of inaction and broken promises from Anchor, whose website features a boast to "improve the lives of older people". Without a scheme manager for three months, residents say they have even been forced to clean the carpet of their communal lounge, while requests to repair leaking roofs and draughty, 30 year-old aluminium windows are ignored. Indeed, some ground floor windows are bordering on the unsafe, maintaining only a meagre hold to exterior walls, while others are so stiff that occupants struggle to open them. Security is also an issue, with a vacant ground floor flat window able to be opened from the outside. "We feel thoroughly neglected and let down," said a resident. "We feel that nobody is really interested in us and that we haven't got a voice. When we phone Anchor Housing, they always seem surprised that we exist and never know where Elstead is." And the list of complaints continued, with other occupants - none of whom wished to be named - outlining a lack of care and attention. "We do not know what is going on - we were supposed to have a meeting on September 19 about having no scheme manager for three months. But that has been postponed. "We are being fobbed off all the time; we pay all our rent but don't get anything done with it," explained one. "Several people have had to live with buckets in their flats due to the leaking roof. It's absolutely covered in moss - you could grow vegetables on it," added another pensioner. "We've complained about the windows until we are blue in the face," she continued. "That's the biggest mess - the lack of security and the age of the windows. In this day and age we are supposed to be conserving energy, but how can you when there's a continual blast of cold air? "We've told Anchor that some windows are falling out of the wall, but they just don't seem to listen to us. There's a general dissatisfaction that things are promised but never happen. "And when we said that the lounge needs redecorating, they said 'well, you could do it yourselves'. This is supposed to be a sheltered retirement accommodation," she exclaimed. And when work is done, inhabitants claim it is expensive and in the main unnecessary. "They come and do silly things, like the railings up the stairs. They had to put another piece of wood on the bannisters as we were told that we could get our head stuck in there!", continued another resident. "We've had our boilers, which worked fine and a perfectly good intercom system replaced. "Our guest room has a leak - apparently the water is coming through and the ceiling is breaking away with a metal rod coming through it. If someone comes to visit then that looks absolutely dreadful. "The whole place hasn't had the wiring checked for years, but instead we receive notices about appliance checks, and when work is done, they charge us so much to do these silly little things, and the place is just deteriorating through lack of care," he said. Meanwhile, after complaining about the condition, residents claim to be perpetually shunned by Anchor representatives. One inhabitant said: "We arrange meetings and Anchor cancel them, but the worrying thing is that they take so much money for refurbishment and a service charge and up to now, what have they done? "We paid ourselves for the carpet in the lounge to be cleaned and that just shouldn't be. "We should be sitting with our feet up. Tenants should not be concerned with nagging about maintenance and repairs. The first thing we saw on the leaflet before deciding to live here was that Anchor give you piece of mind. "You hear about other Anchor schemes that have been up for 15 years and they have had lots of things replaced," another resident added. "Double glazing, thick carpets, walk in showers, electric gates - it seems money is no object. Other Anchor schemes have a maintenance man and security lights and an odd job man "We've never had local people if a light bulb goes, the last one was from Southampton. And there have been plumbers from Bournemouth - we've never had local people, it's madness. "We are worried that they are not prepared to spend money on Guardian Court, and have heard rumours that it is going to be pulled down. But it's such a shame, as we all really like it here - all it needs is some care and attention," she heeded. In its service agreement, framed on the communal lounge wall, Anchor claims that it: "aims to deal with all repairs as quickly as possible". "Regular checks will be made to ensure the equipment we use is fit for purpose and the building is a safe place to work and live," it adds. An Anchor spokesman said: "The scheme manager has not been on site for three months but a relief manager has made daily phone calls to all 28 residents to check on them. She has also regularly visited Guardian Court and suitable cover has been provided at all times. We also provide a 24 hour support line so tenants can contact someone if there's an emergency. "Workmen do not just work for Guardian Court but do repairs in other schemes in the area, and they provide value for money for tenants. "The area manager and other members of staff have had regular contact with the tenants and no-one has received any complaints. If there had been we would have started our responsive repairs procedure immediately. "We recognise tenants have some genuine concerns and now that this issues have been brought to our attention we will ensure they are lookied into and addressing," he concluded.
