Fletcher House in Wood Lane, Dagenham was opened in 2020.
Countryside Homes was the developer of the build but Reside, owned by Barking and Dagenham Council, is the site manager.
Olivia Virag was among the first new residents to move in on the fifth floor.
She told this paper she had issues since “day one” – most notably an inconsistent water supply and poor levels of security.
Olivia Virag lives on the fifth floor of Fletcher House (Image: Olivia Virag) “The water disappears out of the blue with no signs,” she said.
“We turn the tap and sometimes we’ll have no water at all and sometimes we’ll have no hot water.
“We are technically not paying for water bills because they (Countryside Homes) know the water is unreliable – we’d be even more angry if we were paying for our water.”
Olivia is one of the residents who are part of a shared ownership scheme with Barking and Dagenham Council.
“There’s people with small children here and vulnerable adults – it’s ridiculous,” she added.
Another resident who wishes to remain anonymous said: “I’d say we lose hot water once every two weeks at a minimum and then it can take four to six hours to get it back.
“In the last year, we’ve started losing water completely and last summer, during the heatwave we lost water for three days.
“I could come home from work and not know whether I’ve got water when I get back – it’s shocking.”
Olivia explained that within the past two years, she has had bikes stolen twice from the bike storage which is “supposed to be locked”.
“The CCTV and security system was in an open cupboard so people came in, shut down the system and helped themselves to bikes in the night.
“It seemed so easy for them.
“We’re living in the cursed castle of Dagenham – it’s a modern fairy-tale of neglect.”
The anonymous resident also claimed to have experienced intruders in the bike storage units recently.
Olivia added that a neighbour’s gate was damaged by a lorry around four months ago and it still hasn’t been fixed despite complaints being made.
“We would like to thank residents for bringing their concerns to our attention.
“Our priority is always the safety and wellbeing of our residents.
“Fletcher House is a relatively new development and so some snags are expected. However, we understand that residents want more progress, and we will work with them achieve this.”
The anonymous resident claimed: “The council don’t care – we pay our rent to them and they just aren’t doing what they’re meant to be doing – they pass us on to Countryside.”
“Resolving these issues remains a top priority.
“Extensive remedial work has already taken place within the plant rooms, with further progress underway to address pressure-related challenges in the wider network.
“While improvements have been made, we recognise that more work is needed.
“To minimise disruption in the short term, a rapid response team is in place to handle any sudden outages, and residents have been given direct contact details.
“Residents have been informed of these interim measures and will continue to receive updates as the situation develops.
“Our long-term goal is to bring the system to a fully adoptable standard.
“We remain committed to delivering a permanent solution and thank residents for their patience and cooperation.”
