HA and their outside lights

Legacy_user

I live in a HA masionette. I originally bought it SA and later, my parents staircased the balance with the money released when they downsized. Still pay a service charge to the HA.

The area where the 16-18 flats, maisonettes and houses that are part of the HA, there is no council street lights. There are street lights on the street by the standard housing. There are various lights around. The houses are on another street, but their parking bays are the back of the property on the shared driveway with the flats and maisonettes.

The lights the HA provide are three car park lights, one on a wall, the bike shed, four external lights by communal doors, inside the communal area (activated by a push button time delay switch) and the bin area one. The latter only comes on when the door is opened.

On 30th Dec 2015, electrical contractors replaced the three car park lights as one of them was damaged by a tenant and another switched off at around 9pm. This was is next to my car park space.

Came home from work and there were no lights on, including the communal external and internal lights. Had to use the torch on my phone As the nearest street light is c 65 metres away and my home is the furthest away. I thought it was just a simple case of the contractors forgetting to switch the power back on.

Rang the HA on NYE saying that there is no lights. Said there would be someone coming round to fix the problem.

I was celebrating NY away from home and stayed in someone's home. Came home on NYD evening and no lights.

I had to wait until 4th Jan to ring them again. Said that someone would come round Tuesday 5th. One of the house residents that shops at my place of work commented the lights are on.

The following day, the lights were all off. Went up on Friday 8th. Then off again the 9th. Now past two repairs, Tuesday and Thursday this week, the lights were on at dusk then switched off around 11pm. These lights should be on dusk to dawn. As there are many times I go home after 11pm

So these lights have been on for just two nights dusk to dawn since Dec 30th. I am getting sick and tired of ringing the HA up, no-one else seems that bothered (apart from the lady I saw at my work), getting false promises from the HA saying the electricians know the cause and fix it for the lights to trip out again. It is total darkness and I keep using the HnS term and threaten with if I injure myself from walking outside my home in the dark, they are responsible. The area is uneven in places.

Do you think I have a right to have a partial refund on my SC as they are not providing a service to the tenants? Even, some lazy tenants are just placing the bags outside the bin area (why can't they wait until its daylight?) and the bags are being ripped open by foxes and strewing the rubbish around. I even bought myself a new torch as my old one was broken.

If the lights are going to cause problems like this, where should I take my complaint further?

Shenl0101

No but expect your service charge to go up to cover their incompetence.

PasturesNew

Is having lighting written into your lease/contract? I know a sibling bought a house where the documentation said lights in the car park areas would be on all night and some residents at a residents meeting complained and wanted them off - but it's in the contract so they can't do that while more than one person wants them on.

If it's not in the contract then you can't even complain really. You can't withhold money, that's a whole heap of other trouble.

Where I live the lights are broken, it's pitch dark -and- the street lights go out from midnight to 6am every night (money saving council).

Have you checked if your car lights have "come home" on them? Just as you're getting out of the car, "flash" the lights by pulling, as usual, on your light control stick - and if you've got "come home" lights they'll come on and stay on for some time (maybe 1 minute).

AdrianC

ScarletMarble wrote: »

It is total darkness and I keep using the HnS term and threaten with if I injure myself from walking outside my home in the dark, they are responsible. The area is uneven in places.

So take a torch. You have a legal duty to minimise your own losses.

G_M

1) have you written to the HA, detailing the history and asking for the lights to be fixed?

2) I'm uncleat from your post if

a) the HA has actually been out and fixed them several times, and then they've gone off again, or
b) you've simply noted the days they are off (with no knowledge of whether they've worked in between, indicating the HA have taken no action)

3) what rights do you have to lights? Have you checked your lease? Should the lights
* be on all the time?
* be movement activated all the time?
* operate only at certain times? What times?
Read the lease

4) the more call-outs, the more cost. You pay the cost.

5) Minimise risk to yourself - keep a torch in the car

6) what do other residents say?

suki1964

Come live in the country, we don't have street lights and we manage just fine

TBagpuss

As you own your own house, why not look at putting a motion senstive light on your own property (if this is close to your space)

Meanwhile, keep a torch in your car.

I very much doubnt that the HA would have any liability if you were to trip - if you know that the lights are unreliable but chose not look after yourself by using a torch then I would imagine that you will strugle to show that it is the lack of lighting, rhather than your own choice to wander around in the dark with no tocrch, which is the cause of the incident.

Unless the lease / contract for sale specifically defines when the lights should be on then you are on a hiding to nothing.

I'd suggest that you best bet is to write a polite letter to the HA, setting out the dates and times that you are aware of the ligths working / not working and asking them if they can please resolve the issue. You could ask that they keep you informed once the work has been done.

depending on the lay out, if your parking space is too far from your house for your own light to be useful, you could consider whether there is anywher ethat you could fix a solar powered, motion sensitive light, and request permission from the HA for you to put one up where it will be most helpful to you.

Obviosy you can ask your neighbours if they would be willing to call the HA as well, as if there are reports from more than one resident about the same problem it may be seen as more of an issue than if there is one isolated complainant.

sheramber

suki1964 wrote: »

Come live in the country, we don't have street lights and we manage just fine

Yep, no lights and no near neighbours so just black dark.

Everybody carries a torch.

G_M

sheramber wrote: »

Yep, no lights and no near neighbours so just black dark.

........ except the new folk who've extended & done up the cottage down the lane, and installed 24 hour high powered lighting on all 4 external walls. Yup, you can see the light reflecting off the clouds, and the sheep are all huddled up in the far corner of the field in terror.

:doh:

dimbo61

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Snap-On-6-LED-50-Lumen-Multi-Purpose-Pocket-Light-W-Clip-And-Batteries-Included-/191560467867?hash=item2c99e4c59b:g:86EAAOSwv0tVMFxe

Get a nice torch.
This is a clip on one so both hands are free to carry the shopping

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Mini-Inspection-Light-Torch-Pocket/dp/B00B25N9PU/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1452893113&sr=8-3&keywords=clip+on+led+torch