Bought a flat, very bad smell please help im struggling

billiepiper14

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82088132#Comment_82088132

thanks so much for this. In an instant thats lifted me out of my depression and ive thought, yes of course, if we cannot get anywhere with management we need to pay a surveyor. I don’t want to but it’s better than feeling like this forever

WIAWSNB

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82088030#Comment_82088030

Photos are easy to attach - see the 'Upload Image' icon towards the top right of the reply box (a rectangle with a factory? in it)

Your daughter (or a non-squeamish friend) should also collect good clear close-up pics to show there is rotting food amongst this, and if that can include maggots, all the better - almost certainly that will have crossed an important line into an Environmental Health issue.

Read your deeds - see what it says about your rights regarding waste collection, enjoyment of your flat, nuisance, etc. Presumably it will have something, in which case the FH/ManCo does have an obligation to investigate properly. If they refuse, tell them you are going straight to the LA EH with photos of spilling bins and maggots (and you can always do this at any point when it's needed.)

Try and come up with a solution yourself - if the other bin area is larger, better ventilated, has natural light, and is further away from the flats (doesn't just impact on someone else), then tell them that's the easy solution, which they can put into action - the store under your flat only for, say, gardening tools or whatever else is commonly used (but, cough, no lawnmowers or petrol…)

Meanwhile - EVIDENCE. Collect as much as you can; photos, dates, descriptions, statements from visitors (signed and dated), etc.

billiepiper14

Ive found some information on the building from the management pack through my solicitor

“there are gaps and holes that compromise the fire proofing of the building. Instruct contractor to seal any holes or gaps in walls, ceilings and floors with fire retardant product suitable to the size of the gaps. Fire proofing/stopping survey recommended”

the management are saying this relates to an electric box but it does not read like that at all to me

billiepiper14

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82088444#Comment_82088444

thankyou they have firmly said the other isn’t an option unfortunately because the residents are not prepared to walk further

WIAWSNB

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82088456#Comment_82088456

Read your deeds. See what you are entitled to as a leaseholder.

Ignore what they say 'firmly'. If you get photos of overspilling bins, rotting foodstuff, and maggots, and a couple of statements from visitors attesting to the stink, then you either firmly threaten to, or actually go to, EH.

Jude57

Anyone who lives in a flat complex is, to an extent, subjected to the actions of other residents, good and bad.

I'm sure you'll have already checked that the smell in the bathroom isn't coming from the drains? If not, I strongly recommend that you do check, because I also live in a flat, mine, in a tower block though I'm only on the second floor, has a shared service shaft where the drains all meet then travel down to the main drains and sewers. Yesterday evening for example, there was a disgusting smell coming up in my kitchen sink and unfortunately, nothing I can do about it. The service shaft pipework is periodically blasted by high pressure cleaning. I do a weekly cleanse of my own drains with a proprietary cleaner and use enzyme sticks to help keep the worst of it at bay and that works pretty effectively for me. The caretakers in my block have told me some horror stories about what other residents put down their drains and of course I can't affect that so I do what I can to help keep my sink drains as clean as possible. If you've already checked that the smell is definitely not the drains, you've (or your daughter has) a fight on your hands as I've found with my own situation.

The issue I have is cigarette smoke coming up from my downstairs neighbour which renders my bathroom literally unusable at times. In trying to tackle it, I've contacted the Housing Association, Environmental Health, my local Councillors, the Fire Service and even the Health and Safety Executive. None could help because, it seems, my neighbour's right to smoke in their flat trumps my right to not breathe their second hand smoke. Smells from uncollected food waste must surely be a different story, though, because there's the potential for a public health issue. I agree with other posters suggesting a chat with Environmental Health officers at your daughter's local Council to get their advice and hopefully a site visit to see, and smell, the issue. I'd also be asking the Management Company how often the bins and bin store are fully cleaned and disinfected? Who monitors the bins so that they don't get overfilled, rendering them uncollectable by the refuse collection service and making the issue worse? In my block, 14 storeys of 6 flats per storey, the caretakers (who only work 8-4 Mon-Fri) rotate the bins to ensure they don't get overfilled (we have refuse chutes on each floor) and the bins are replaced every couple of weeks, with a batch taken away for cleaning and clean bins provided. The bin store is cleaned out and disinfected at least once per week. That's not an unreasonable timetable for my block and I don't think it's unreasonable for your daughter's flat complex either. If your daughter's bins are checked daily, surely it wouldn't be difficult for the service staff to lock any bins that are full and the refuse collection team at the Council might be able to advise on this because of course they'll need to be able to unlock the bins to empty them.

I hope you can find a solution and that your daughter can settle in to her new home.

Grumpy_chap

I know this is not aligned with what others have said and it will not be an easy hear for the OP / OP's daughter right now but there is a chain of thought that this odour arising soon after moving in could be a blessing in disguise.

The OP mentioned that the flat was not clean when the daughter moved in ("there was rotting food and maggots in the fridge"). Has there been a full check, including any voids / ducts / under floorboards / above ceilings or such like, that there are no other sites of maggots, foodstuffs decaying, vermin indications? I'll assume that has been done or can and will be done in a relatively quick timeframe.

Once the potential of any other sources of the odour from within the flat are eliminated, that would then indicate the source of the odour is the bins as is currently thought to be the case from the OP / OP's daughter.

Let's assume that to be the case.

What is the structure of the building?

Is this a purpose build block of flats? What age?

Is this a conversion?

Typically, for a purpose built block of flats there would be a concrete slab between each floor and each flat would be a sealed compartment. If there are service ducts through that slab which are not adequately fire stopped then finding out through the presence of a foul odour is a good thing. Well, obviously, not good in the absolute sense but good in the sense of far better than finding out through a spread of fire event.

Coupled with the information from the survey that a fire stop survey is recommended, the next step would seem to be to arrange for this survey to be undertaken and the necessary actions implemented.

The other thing that is worth doing is checking that there are no "dry traps" anywhere connected to the waste water pipes. Check any obvious locations - every sink, toilet, shower, bath - but also less obvious locations such as washing machine, dishwasher points or such like. Are there any redundant dry traps behind cupboards or under floor boards? Any located should be either kept wet or properly capped off. Once any locations have been identified, remedy is relatively low cost.

Hopefully the positive suggestions that the forum has made will help to cast some clarity on the matter and provide some relief that the situation, while unpleasant, need not necessarily be overwhelming to resolve.

billiepiper14

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82088486#Comment_82088486

Thankyou i did think it’s best we know

Emmia

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82088466#Comment_82088466

As a leaseholder with a (different) bin issue (our bins are used by other flats in the building over the road as they cannot be arsed to walk to their own bins) If you remove the bins from the convenient store, all that will happen is people will just leave the rubbish bags on the floor of the store, these won't be picked up by the rubbish collection, and will undoubtedly get attacked by foxes, rats and other vermin creating mess and the smell will almost certainly be worse.

I suggest if the current bins are overflowing and aren't being emptied then you need to get them to a fullness where they will be emptied, this might mean the OP's daughter will need to wheel bins from the other store over, empty the overflowing bins and then replace them in the second store. She shouldn't have to do this, but as the person impacted by the smell she will end up doing it. Sorry.

billiepiper14

the fire service enforce the fire survey so was thinking of getting their input. Someone needs to see it really (preferably management)