The first tenants at The Filigree in Link Way only moved into the recently completed development last summer, but already face weeks of living out of a hotel room.
Their landlord Get Living has said that there was a “catastrophic failure” of the mains water supply at its energy centre, which powers three buildings at the housing complex, last Thursday (February 27).
This caused significant flooding in the basement, cutting water and power for some homes.
All 437 residents were told that they would have to immediately move to temporary accommodation for the next few days.
But a subsequent assessment of the leak, which is understood to have also knocked out the electrical panel for the emergency generator, revealed “substantial” damage.
Residents have now been told that they will have to stay in temporary accommodation until at least March 19 while work to fix the issue is carried out.
One man who only moved into his flat in a 28-storey block at The Filigree six months ago told the News Shopper that communication from Get Living had been “unacceptable”.
He claimed that he only found out that he could not return to his home for another two weeks after speaking to the landlord’s emergency accommodation provider ICAB.
The tenant, who asked not to be named, had initially travelled to stay with his parents in Milton Keynes, but said he would now have to find new accommodation closer to his workplace in London.
“They’ve been booking people into Travelodges and Premier Inns,” he said.
“People have been having a lot of difficulty with that, especially people with pets and medical conditions for whom being put into a hotel is really not ideal.
“It’s stressful when they can be put into different areas of the city that’s nowhere near their place of work.”
Residents have now been told that they have a £150 allowance if they want to book alternative accommodation more suitable to their needs, such as an Airbnb.
Those staying with friends and family can claim up to £50 a night, as well as £30 a day for food.
Get Living has said that it is liaising with developer Muse and their main contractor Balfour Beatty to remediate the problem “as quickly as possible”.
A spokesperson for the landlord said: “Further investigations are ongoing to understand the severity of the damage and steps needed to rectify and restore services.
“We understand this is a distressing and frustrating situation for residents and we sincerely apologise for the disruption this is causing.”
Developer Muse confirmed that it is working “very closely” with Get Living.
A spokesperson added: “Our first priority is the safety of residents so we are working quickly and carefully to investigate the extent of the damage and the next steps to safely restore all services.
“We are very sorry for the disruption this incident has caused.”
Balfour Beatty has also been approached for a response.
