When the award winning construction of Kelso Cochrane House was officially opened in May 2024 by Kensington and Chelsea Council it was hailed by a government minister as an “example of new social housing supporting healthy, prosperous neighbourhoods in London”.
The first social homes approved after the Grenfell disaster and the first council homes in the borough in decades, the 38 flats in Kensal Road, North Kensington, were part of the council’s New Homes Programme – a commitment to build 600 “truly affordable” homes post-Grenfell.
When “utility issues” delayed the project in 2023 the council said some “snagging issues” often needed to be resolved with any such building project, “so the homes are up to the highest possible standard when residents move in”.
But less than a year after the first residents got their keys, they say the building has been plagued by issues with the supposedly state-of-the-art plumbing system that have regularly left them without heating or hot water.
Tenants have complained of mould, leaks, a collapsed ceiling, mice scurrying around and a faulty fire alarm system that goes off all hours of the day and night as well as a front door to the block that would not lock. Meanwhile constant issues with the lift mean some feel trapped inside the building due to mobility issues.
Yolande, who moved into a first-floor flat with her granddaughter in July 2024 after a three-year wait on the housing register, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS): “I’m done. I just can’t keep up. I have a granddaughter I’m looking after and I have disabilities. I am on a high dose of steroids and I am diabetic. I just can’t go without hot water. It’s depressing.”
Yolande said that as winter approached last year, the heating in her flat stopped working and family resorted to using electric heaters provided by the council to keep warm. She said her electricity bill quickly jumped to £260 a month though the council says it generally reimburses residents for additional costs like these. She also found her shower had no hot water and had to bathe using heated water from her kitchen sink.
The NHS worker was reportedly told by a contractor piping in the building didn’t allow hot water and heating to flow at the same time.
The South African, who moved to the UK under a safe haven visa, said she refuses to pay the full rent until the faults are fixed. She said: “The rent is £1,300 a month but I’m not paying that. I was going to pay nothing but then someone told me it is better to pay something so I’m paying what I think it’s worth. I’m paying £1,000 a month.”
Her neighbour Chris told the LDRS the slabs connecting Yolande’s balcony to her flat were so unstable it was “like Jeopardy” going out there. He said: “You didn’t know which ones would fall through.”
‘You literally couldn’t shower’
Chris lives on the top floor with his four kids, partner and mother, who he cares for. The family moved in last May after spending six years in a cramped West London flat that had one bathroom and one toilet.
Moving into Kelso Cochrane House seemed a dream come true for the family but within days Chris, a former Royal Air Force infantryman, found the flat was riddled with problems. He rigged a new hose and showerhead to the bath to get hot water.
He says he also had to wait until February – nine months after they moved in – for contractors to fix his heating. He said the family spent most of the winter wearing coats indoors to stay warm. Chris also pinned a thick plastic cover over the children’s windows after they began complaining about the cold seeping through the double-glazed glass.
To make matters worse, the electricity turned off anytime Chris closed the fuse-box flap with a bit of force. Chris’s foster child told the LDRS: “It’s really annoying. Having a cold shower, you want to relax by having a hot shower but you can’t. It’s atrocious.”
Chris said the fire alarm constantly goes off, causing the lifts to stop working. He believes it’s being triggered by people smoking in the stairwell.
He said the lifts go out of service so frequently his sick mother, who is in her 80s, stopped leaving the flat. He said the alarm was being triggered so often the London Fire Brigade were called out to reset it. This was confirmed by the brigade.
He said: “You’ve just got to get on with it. There’s a lot of calling Kensington and Chelsea Council but you hear the same BS. They say someone will be there in 24 hours but nothing ever gets done. We just don’t know how we are going to live day by day.”
Chris said he feels as if the tenants were used as guinea pigs, claiming he was told by a housing officer the heating system in their block will not be used in any other newbuilds. He added: “We were relieved to move in but it’s been heart-breaking. At least at the last place we had hot water.”
Chris stands on his balcony and points to Grenfell Tower in the distance. He says it can feel surreal seeing it while the fire alarm is blaring in the background.
The LDRS understands the heating systems used in newbuild council properties are designed bespoke to the building’s intended use and overall size. The products which are used in newbuilds depend on what is available on the market at the time of procurement.
The LDRS understands one of the manufacturers whose products were used at Kelso Cochrane House is no longer in business.
‘I’m fed up’
Stephanie, a disabled resident, said she’s so fed up with the faults in Kelso Cochrane House that she’s now asked to go back on the housing register. She moved in last year after spending 16 years on the register. The last 13 of those were in temporary accommodation.
The disability rights advocate says she was placed in a hotel for two-and-a-half months over New Year after the lift broke down. She too has mould in her cupboards. She said the storage unit housing electric meters had to be replaced after a leak led to it being infested with mould which the LDRS has seen evidence of.
She said: “It was so bad. There was no communication. The people who were suffering were the residents.”
Meanwhile, the LDRS has seen evidence of water running down walls and a ceiling caving in. When we visited earlier this month, we met a tenant who was told mould around the air vents was “black dust”.
Another, who didn’t want to be named, told us they’ve had to move into their child’s room because it was too cold for him. She said: “It’s a true inconvenience. I have written so many complaints that I’m sick of writing them. I’m fed up.”
The LDRS understands the council recently approved a specialist company to carry out servicing and health checks to all the fan coil units and mechanical ventilation and heat recovery systems within the building. This work is supposed to deal with the ventilation issues which have led to some of the damp and mould found in the building. Residents will soon be informed of a start date.
Due to carbon net zero requirements, all new council builds provide sustainable communal heating and hot water systems as opposed to traditional gas fired options. The council is working to improve how it communicates with residents about these systems and will be offering residents personalised demonstrations of “how to get the most out of the system”.
The system can reportedly provide heating and hot water simultaneously if reserves in the hot water storage tank allow it. If the reserves are fully depleted, the system will prioritise hot water demands while the tank is reheated.
This can mean there are periods where heating units in homes don’t receive hot water. The water from the tank supplies hot water to taps as well as to the fan coil heating system in each home.
The council says it fixed the entry doors in February and has not received any further complaints on the issue. The council said it is reviewing requirements for new buildings to ensure the specifications for lifts, doors and communal systems are meeting the highest standards.
It is also improving the information available to residents in new build homes around the use and maintenance of the communal systems. This includes introducing QR codes for easily accessible information at the point of use, as well as enhanced home user guides and personalised demonstrations of the equipment for residents.
Cllr Sof McVeigh, Lead Member for Housing, said: “We’re very sorry for the issues affecting residents at Kelso Cochrane House and are working as fast as we can to put them right. The fire safety system in the block is working as intended and the alarm was not switched off by the Fire Brigade.
“Unfortunately there was a leak in the building which has now stopped, our team is tracing it to make sure it does not happen again. We’re working with new specialist suppliers for the heating and lift systems in the building which will ensure the service will improve quickly.
“We are determined that this does not happen again with our new buildings and have reviewed the handover and early management process with contractors.”
The development is named in memory of Kelso Cochrane who was tragically murdered by a gang of white youths in Notting Hill while on his way home in 1959. Members of his family attended the opening of the development.
The social rent homes are made up of 10 one-bedroom homes, nine two-bedroom homes, eight three-bedroom homes and one four-bedroom home. The council’s New Homes Delivery Programme promised to deliver 600 new homes including a minimum of 300 social rent homes, alongside key worker, open market homes to rent and other community and employment facilities.
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