Sarah McGreevy died after falling from the sixth floor of Macbeth House on Hackney Council’s Arden Estate on June 16 last year.
A coroner’s report into her death found that it was “more likely than not” that Ms McGreevy had climbed onto a wooden box to clear a drainpipe and had accidentally fallen over her balcony.
The council is responsible for the building’s structure, including drainpipes, but a tenant management organisation (TMO) set up by residents so they can manage their own homes is responsible for some repairs.
The local authority said last year that there were no reports for any works orders relating to the balcony drainage in the block.
But one neighbour who lives on the fifth floor of the estate says she reported to the TMO that her drainpipe had come away from the balcony six months before Ms McGreevy’s death.
The woman, who asked not to be named, said she was told by the TMO that the council would send someone out to fix the problem, but she claims nobody turned up.
She told the Hackney Gazette that all communication with the TMO was over the phone so she had no paper or email records of the repair request.
Hackney Council has denied that it has any “open records” regarding an outstanding issue with the woman’s downpipe.
The local authority had previously said that it carried out a condition survey in November last year “with particular attention being given to the condition of surface water drainage serving the balconies to the rear of the block”.
But photos show that the problem has still not been fixed, more than 18 months after it was allegedly first reported.
The neighbour said: “You report it so many times and then you just leave it until something happens.”
The local authority said that in 2024, the TMO referred a different repair request regarding a blocked drain at the woman’s flat.
A spokesperson added: “We were unable to gain access to assess what may be required and the job was subsequently cancelled as a result of no response to our no access. This issue hasn’t been raised with us since.
“While we have no open repair requests for any balcony gully or drain pipes that may affect this home we will make contact with her to arrange for a visit so we can inspect the issue as soon as possible and take any appropriate action.”
The coroner report into Ms McGreevy’s death said police were told of residents on the fifth and sixth floors of the building climbing onto their balconies to manually unblock pipes, especially after heavy rain.
Sarah Bourke, assistant coroner for inner north London, said: “In my opinion there is a risk that future deaths could occur unless action is taken.”
The council has said that drainage systems are “not subject to periodic inspection” but tenants are not expected to undertake repairs themselves.
The local authority added that it would warn tenants not to use steps, stools or ladders on balconies and to contact the council’s repairs centre about any issues with guttering or pipes.
Earlier this year, Steve Waddington, strategic director of Hackney Council’s housing services, said: “Throughout this we remain mindful of the impact of this incident on the friends and family of Ms McGreevy and our thoughts continue to be with them.”
