Residents still waiting to return home after fire

0Residents of Neutron Tower say they believe the fire was linked to a floodA month after a fire tore through a flat on the 17th floor of an east London tower block, killing one man and forcing hundreds of people from their homes, many residents are still waiting to find out when they will be allowed back.

The blaze broke out on 13 September at the 22-storey Neutron Tower on Blackwall Way in Poplar. London Fire Brigade said the fire was believed to have been accidental.

Residents remain in temporary accommodation while safety checks and repair work continue, with no date set for their return.

FirstPort said assessments had been completed and contractors were due to start work, while Notting Hill Genesis said it was supporting residents and working to get them home.

Natasha Parcell, 33, has lived in her two-bedroom flat in the building for 10 years. She owns a 25% share of the property through a shared ownership scheme with housing association Notting Hill Genesis.

Parcell is living in temporary accommodation which she is not paying for, although she says she is still spending almost £2,000 a month in rent, mortgage payments and service charges for her Neutron Tower flat.

"We want to have empathy, we just want people to understand it's hugely disruptive, we just want to know when our lives are going to go back to normal," she said.

"We've just not been given any indication as to how long this is going to be," Parcell added.

"As far as I'm aware, my Airbnb is actually booked until January at the moment. I think the indication is that we would be returning sooner, but I know other residents have now been booked until February.

"So again, it's very difficult to plan your life."

Parcell said she was also worried her monthly service charge of £660 could be increased.

She said residents had "no more information" than they did four weeks ago and added that there was currently no electricity in the flats.

Among those affected is Sudhir, who bought a one-bedroom flat in the tower in 2014 and has rented it out for the past few years.

While he is not living in the building himself, he said the situation could leave him financially exposed if his tenant decided to leave.

"I have an amazing tenant," he said.

"My risk is that he could either default, stop paying me rent, refuse or just serve notice and say, 'I want to leave the property' – and that leaves me in a financial position.

"I'm paying the service charge and the mortgage and ground rent, but I haven't got a tenant and it will be very hard to find another tenant in this situation."

Previously, some occupants told the BBC they had already had concerns about safety in the building after a major flood hours before the fire, and claimed no alarms sounded when the blaze broke out.

FirstPort, which has overall responsibility for building safety at Neutron Tower, said building assessments had now been completed and contractors were preparing to start work.

A spokesperson said: "The safety of the building and its residents remains our priority, alongside providing support to the contractors progressing the necessary works to enable residents to return to their homes as soon as possible.

"Building assessments have now been completed, with contractors due to commence work on site.

"We expect to be in a position to provide greater clarity on anticipated reoccupation timescales in due course."

The company said suitable alternative accommodation had been arranged for the residents for whom it was responsible and that support would continue while work progressed.

Notting Hill Genesis said it understood residents' frustrations over continuing rent and service charge payments while they were unable to live in their homes.

In a statement, the housing association said: "We are continuing to support our residents affected by the tragic fire at Neutron Tower."

It said service charges would continue because the building still required management, insurance, security, maintenance and safety-related services.

It added that services not provided while residents were away from home would not be charged and would be reflected in year-end accounts.

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