Residents of an Acton block of flats owned by housing association giant Peabody say they are living in fear for their lives, claiming decades of poor maintenance and ignored concerns have left them feeling unsafe in their homes.
They accuse Peabody of failing to address serious safety concerns, including large cracks in walls, spreading mould and windows that don’t close, though the association insists the flats remain safe.
The Hanger View Way block off Hanger Vale Lane, near North Ealing Underground station, consists entirely of one-bedroom flats and houses families, older people and residents with additional needs.
Flats are a mix of social housing and leasehold properties – some lived in by their owners, others rented out through private landlords. Residents say they pay around £150 a week in social rent to Peabody, while private renters are paying around £1,200 a month. Leaseholders, who pay a £200 month service charge and own their homes say they have been unable to sell because of the state of the building.
The block, more than 45 years old, has passed through the hands of several housing associations — including the Griffin Group — before coming under Peabody’s ownership through its merger in 2022 with Catalyst. Residents say this shifting management has left long-standing problems unresolved.
They report that damp and mould are making people unwell, while communal doors and windows are not fully secure. Uncertainty about the building’s structural safety, they say, is also taking a toll on mental health.
The Hanger View Way Residents Association, representing the flats 31–66, said in a statement: “Our block of flats is subsiding, our walls are cracking, ceilings leak water and building footers are exposed, we are frightened for our safety, Peabody are not. We have no confidence in Peabody as they don’t seem to care about us.”
They added: “Peabody has failed to act responsibly and transparently about the current structural safety of the building, despite specialist firms commissioned to do detailed structural investigations. When we have asked Peabody for copies of the specialist reports, they refuse to cooperate and share them with us – thus showing no duty of care. This approach has left us in the ‘dark’, making us feel vulnerable and anxious about the lack of detailed information and whether our homes are safe. This has begun to take its toll on our mental health and emotional wellbeing and no one is enjoying their home, living conditions and environment.”
Ealing Liberal Democrats Councillor Jon Ball, spokesperson for housing told EALING.NEWS of his concerns. He said: “It is shocking that residents are exposed to these appalling living conditions and have been neglected by their social landlord. This is at a time when there is hardly any new social housing being built and yet demand for housing is high. It is outrageous to see that social landlords seem to be ignoring their duties to their tenants.”
Although the block of flats is not owned or used by Ealing Council, a council spokesperson told EALING.NEWS that residents should raise their concerns with the Housing Ombudsman and the Regulator of Social Housing if they are unhappy with Peabody’s response.
They said: “Hanger View Way is not a block managed or used by Ealing Council. It is owned and run by Peabody Trust, a registered provider regulated by the Regulator of Social Housing.
“Peabody is responsible for the safety and maintenance of the building, including any decisions about rehousing residents.
“Residents with concerns should contact Peabody directly to request repairs or raise a formal complaint. If they remain dissatisfied after exhausting Peabody’s complaints process, they can escalate the matter to the Housing Ombudsman Service and the Regulator of Social Housing.”
Those living at Hanger View Way say they are too embarrassed to invite friends or family to visit because of mould and cracks in the walls, along with windows that don’t fully close, leaving some residents feeling socially isolated.
One resident told EALING.NEWS: “No one has done anything to make us feel safe. For years our concerns have been ignored and it just gets worse and worse.”
They added: “All we want is for Peabody to come and talk to us, listen to our concerns and fix these issues which have been going on for years. They need to do something and stop it carrying on like this. We are supposed to have property managers but no one has ever seen them or heard directly from them.”
The building, made up of a ground floor and two upper floors, is plagued by subsidence, leaks and exposed footings. On the ground floor, residents struggle to access their gardens after subsidence created a steep drop; some have resorted to building makeshift steps to get in and out, while others say requests to Peabody for help to fix this issue have been ignored.
Inside, communal areas reflect what residents describe as decades of neglect: windows that won’t close, skylights on the second floor ingrained with dirt and no longer letting in light, and lino flooring which they say is the original laid more than 40 years ago. Ceilings in shared spaces bear water stains from leaks, asbestos warning stickers are visible, and metal service hatches sit exposed in hallways, poorly maintained and uncovered by any lino. Residents say they have received no update from Peabody on how the asbestos risk or other hazards will be dealt with.
According to the residents’ association, Peabody has carried out only “cosmetic fixes” to cracks which reappear within weeks. A recent leak in the communal hallway has continued for more than a month, leaving ceilings dripping and mould spreading.
One resident said: “No one from Peabody has visited us, which only adds to our sense of being ignored. We don’t understand why Peabody is failing in its duty of care to us.”
Independent specialists have told residents there are serious safety concerns with the block. The association added: “We are living with a ticking time bomb that a disaster will occur at any moment and the building will collapse on top of us or explode owing to exposed gas pipes.”
Peabody said the Hanger View Way homes remain safe. Speaking to Ealing News, a spokesperson added: “We understand these concerns and want to reassure residents that their homes are safe to live in.
“We’ve identified subsidence, likely caused by a nearby oak tree, and we’re carrying out more checks to get the information we need to apply to the council for permission to remove the tree. We’ll then be completing further repairs.
“We’re also investigating reports of leaks in the building and will make any necessary repairs as quickly as possible.
“We’ll be writing to residents shortly with an update.”
