The Fold, marketed as a luxury development, has left residents scrambling to find new homes while demanding support from the council in their battle with the building’s owners, Legal & General (L&G).
The 251-unit building, where a one-bedroom flat now rents for £1,480 a month, is currently only 30% occupied following the mass exodus enforced by the owners.
Despite only being completed in 2022, The Fold has been plagued by persistent problems, including damp, mould, collapsing ceilings, and poor communication from its management company, Urbanbubble.
“Every single resident’s story I hear makes me think about how much has been swept under the rug,” said Jack Fordham, a former Fold resident, who joined a protest outside Croydon Town Hall on Wednesday, October 22, seeking council support.
He told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS): “When push comes to shove, we are asking the council for help, and then we can find out who actually stands for us.”
Another resident, Reuben Cox, preparing to relocate elsewhere in Croydon after receiving his notice last month, cited fire safety concerns as his primary worry.
“We tried to get out relatively quickly. I was pretty concerned about what they found regarding fire safety,” he said. “What confused me is that they said everyone needs to leave because it’s unsafe, but somehow [their message was also] it’s still okay to stay.”
Residents have reported regular water damage, collapsing ceilings, and even sewage entering bathrooms, leading some to describe The Fold as fundamentally unsafe.
In September, the LDRS revealed that safety flaws caused by faulty work from now-defunct builder Henry Construction have rendered the building unsafe, meaning it will need to be stripped back to its concrete structure.
Remediation work is expected to continue until at least 2027, with all residents required to vacate by March 2026.
Residents are now calling on the council, in its roles as both landowner and local authority, to use their influence to hold L&G accountable.
Before the meeting, residents spoke with Mayor Jason Perry and Deputy Mayor Lynne Hale, who listened to their concerns.
Inside, council officials acknowledged that they had not directly engaged with residents since the announcement but promised to work with them and their representatives from the ACORN union.
The council clarified that while it still owns the freehold to Queen’s Quarter, where The Fold sits, it has “no management responsibility” for the building. That responsibility rests solely with L&G, which holds a 250-year lease.
The council also noted there is no formal process for managing potential conflicts of interest between its roles as landowner and regulator.
Responding to questions from former residents, the council confirmed it was not involved in construction inspections and only began engaging after L&G raised safety concerns. It said the London Fire Brigade is the lead enforcement agency for fire safety, while the council’s role is limited to supporting investigations.
Opposite The Fold is Malcolm Wicks House, a council-owned social housing block built by Henry Construction at the same time.
The council said it has conducted annual fire risk assessments, regular safety checks, and weekly inspections there.
No defects similar to those at The Fold have been found, and the council has maintained regular contact with tenants. It will continue coordinating with the London Fire Brigade and L&G to ensure resident safety.
Speaking to the LDRS after the meeting, ACORN representative Kane Newman said: “Our members attended the most recent council meeting firstly to clarify the council’s role in their situation as freeholders, and secondly to seek support in their campaign efforts for fair compensation.
“Residents have requested that councillors sign ACORN’s open letter and contact Legal & General. It has been positive to receive support from some councillors, but more needs to be done in order to demonstrate the council’s responsibility to support their constituents’ statutory tenants’ rights.
“More generally, tenancy law needs to be upheld and enforced in order to hold landlords to account and address the housing crisis meaningfully.”
A spokesperson for L&G said: “The safety and wellbeing of residents remains our top priority, and The Fold’s management team is doing everything it can to expedite remediation where possible, and to support residents ahead of vacating the property in advance of the 1 March 2026 deadline.
“As we have progressed certain aspects of the remediation, workers have been coming into the building to undertake repairs.
“They have a professional duty to wear required safety equipment, which we appreciate may have been unsettling in some instances for residents. We recognise that our communication to notify residents of the actions being taken could have been better, and for this we would like to apologise.”
The spokesperson added: “We have since put in place a process to ensure a more consistent and transparent level of communication, which includes weekly updates on the status of building works, and assistance in sourcing alternative accommodation.
“We have also held one-to-one meetings with vulnerable residents to provide individual support where required.
“We understand the significant disruption caused and have put in place comprehensive support and compensation for our residents, which includes the equivalent of four months’ rent compensation and an additional £1,000 per apartment payment to cover the associated costs of moving, with deposits returned in full.
“We are continuing to work with residents, both as a group and on a one-to-one basis, to address their needs in the best way possible.”
A Council spokesperson said: “We understand this must be a very difficult situation for the residents of the Fold and we are following the situation closely.
“Whilst the Council retains a freehold to the site, the block is owned by Legal and General and so the management and conditions are their responsibility.
“We are, however. showing a keen interest in the building and continue to work closely with partners, such as the London Fire Brigade, to ensure resident safety. On 16 September and Monday 20 October 2025, the London Fire Brigade carried out an inspection of The Fold focusing on fire safety matters.
“The Council was invited to attend, and an Environmental Health Officer from the Private Sector Housing team joined the inspection to support a collaborative approach. The inspection sought to understand and assess reported fire safety deficiencies, which may relate to both the physical structure of the building and the documentation held by the managing organisation.
“The statutory body responsible is the Building Safety Regulator and we would encourage residents to contact them directly for support if they have not yet done so. We’re also continuing to look at how we can better support and protect private tenants across Croydon and help raise standards in the private rented sector.
“This includes plans for a new landlord licensing scheme which we are currently consulting on and which would give us greater scope to prevent situations like this arising in future. We encourage residents to engage with this consultation as it could make a big difference to renters’ rights. In the meantime, we will remain proactive in engaging with Legal and General.”
