The first tenants at The Filigree in Link Way only moved into the recently completed development last summer, but already face having to find a new home, at least temporarily.
Landlord Get Living was initially forced to find emergency accommodation for residents after the “catastrophic failure” of the mains water supply at its energy centre, which powers three buildings at the housing complex, on February 27.
This caused significant flooding in the basement, cutting water and power for some homes.
Residents were told to expect to be put up in hotels until Wednesday (March 19), but have now been informed that repair work to rebuild the energy centre could take between six to 12 months.
This will follow the completion of an ongoing assessment of the extent of the damage, expected to take four to eight weeks.
In the meantime, neighbours will have to find somewhere else to live.
It is not yet clear what support will be provided to tenants during this period, although Get Living has said they will be offered different options soon.
The News Shopper has also spoken to one Lewisham resident, who asked not to be named, who had planned to move into the new development at the end of this month.
“I was literally about to sign the contract and had a move in date for March 27,” she explained.
“That meant I needed to give notice in our current place.
“I’m now in a situation where I have to move anyway but I can’t move to where I was supposed to move. I’m going to have to find something in two weeks’ time. It’s very stressful.”
Get Living has said that it is unable to provide support to anyone who does not have an existing tenancy agreement.
A spokesperson added: “We feel for the plight of residents, who through this catastrophic infrastructure failure, are placed in a position of uncertainty, frustration and disruption.
“Our residents remain our absolute top priority, and we are seeking to lessen the unavoidable disruption for them as much as possible during this time.
“We are sharing regular updates to ensure residents have the latest information as it becomes available and are continuing to provide daily allowances for accommodation, as well as food allowances for those staying in hotels or with friends.”
