A resident living in a Croydon block of flats says someone could have “easily been killed” when a glass window fell from the 17th floor, crashing and smashing on the ground where supermarket delivery drivers often park. Harry Kind came out of his apartment at Caithness Walk, in the Ruskin Square development next to East Croydon station, to find the large pane of glass smashed on the pavement.
The 31-year-old, who has been living in the flat he owns with his partner since 2016, said the broken window had first been reported to the building’s management company, RMG, a month ago before it fell out on Tuesday, April 5. The lock had broken on the window, and it was designed to automatically open and close for ventilation.
“It could easily have killed someone,” Harry told MyLondon. “It was very lucky someone wasn’t killed.” While RMG acknowledged the broken window had been reported beforehand, a spokesperson claimed the fault “would not have caused it to come loose”.
Harry and other residents disagree though. “It wasn’t just that it was windy,” Harry said. “It was a broken unit.”
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‘This isn’t legal, and it definitely isn’t fair’
This isn’t the only issue residents at the apartment block are facing. Harry fears he could be kicked out of the flat he owns with his partner if they don’t pay a year’s worth of heating in one go.
He said all the heating in the building is managed through a central boiler room which pumps heat to all the flats. He explained RMG then bills the residents for the amount of gas used but claims that last year none of the homes received any bills and were told it was due to a negotiation over the gas contract due to the ongoing war in Ukraine.
However, Harry said: “At no time were we given any indication we should be prepared for prices going up.” But earlier this year, Harry and other residents received letters saying they needed to pay for all of last year’s heating, and to pay it at the current rate, which would be up to seven times more expensive than last year.
To an extent Harry feels he is lucky as his bill only doubled and a half, as they hadn’t used that much energy.
‘I feel more trapped in this property than I did as a renter’
They’re even worried about being kicked out, despite owning the flat, due to a clause in the leasehold contract saying they cannot be in arrears with the property management company. Harry said: “I feel more trapped in this property than I did as a renter. That should not be the case.”
‘Thorough investigation into how the window fell out’
In response to the claims made, an RMG spokesperson said: “During high winds, a window fell from the building. While no one was injured, we are very concerned about what happened, as, understandably, our customers will be.
“There was a repair request in for the window, but this issue would not have caused it to come loose. We would like to reassure customers that whilst the window AOV system is regularly maintained by an accredited contractor, we are carrying out a thorough investigation into how this happened, and we will update all residents on our findings as their safety is our number one priority.
“We have been able to protect our customers from the impacts of the national energy crisis in recent years but as of January 1, 2023, the tariff increased, and customers’ charges now reflect this rise. All our contracts comply with the Heat Supply Agreements we have with our customers but unfortunately the impact of global rising energy costs has resulted in a higher rate for our customers.
“We strive to keep service charges fair and reasonable. At Ruskin Square the service charges covers the costs for providing services to the building, such as; maintenance, repairs, management of lifts, cleaning, Health and Safety, Fire Risk reports and insurance etc to name just a few. If customers have any queries or need our support they can contact us through their app or call the RMG London Customer Service Team 0207 598 1600.”
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