A RESIDENT of Llanddulas has told of their struggle to leave a block of flats which has had rubbish repeatedly left across the surrounding outside area and which has seen numerous incidents of anti-social behaviour occur.
The resident, who asked not to be identified, has lived on Maes Cynbryd, at a property rented from the registered social landlord, Cartrefi Conwy.
But the resident said their neighbours have shown little regard for disposing of litter properly, while the communal front door to the property cannot be locked and is without a handle.
The resident said they have also encountered “parties and violent threats” at Maes Cynbryd since moving in last summer.
The resident said: “Obviously I can’t find anyone to exchange with me, my flat’s lovely inside: all new carpets and immaculately clean.
“The bins get removed regularly and the problem comes back.
“There are much more issues you can expect from these type of people... parties and violent threats.
“Since I moved here, the front door hasn’t even locked. Anyone can just walk in; it doesn’t even have a handle on it.
“There’s asbestos in the building; the block itself looks like a prisoner-of-war camp.
“The amenities are severely lacking here. It seems cheap compared to the current price of private rental, but compared to other housing association and council properties, I feel it’s actually pretty expensive.
“I can’t find anywhere else; the rental situation in North Wales is so, so bad at the moment. Hopefully, some action will happen now after nearly a year of complaining and gathering evidence.”
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The resident has already contacted Conwy County Borough Council’s Environmental Health body, as well as Rent Smart Wales, which assists those who let or manage rental properties to comply with the 2014 Housing (Wales) Act, but to no avail.
Darren Millar, MS for Clwyd West, was also contacted about the ongoing issues at Maes Cynbryd last week, the resident added.
Any attempts thus far to have arranged an exchange with Cartrefi Conwy have also proved unsuccessful.
The resident added: “I’ve been told they won’t put me forward for a transfer as per their policy that I must be there for 12 months first. They told me in February I was on the transfer waiting list, but it turns out that was a mistake.
“I pay nearly £500 a month. It’s supposed to be social and affordable housing; it’s an absolute rip-off. I’ve got friends who are paying £450 for two-bedroom private-rented flats in this area.
“The bins usually look like that; this is happening all the time. They get them removed, and then the people living in this block keep on doing it. They’re just spoiling it for everybody else.
“It got to the point when I went through the bins myself, which was vile, got letters out with their names and addresses on, and told Cartrefi.
“They said that wasn’t enough evidence and that they can’t do anything about it, because they don’t know who it is, but they were threatening to put cameras in there before I moved in.
“I’ve had police incidents, people knocking on my buzzer at 3.30am; it’s just horrible. It’s a really deep problem.
“They told me to give me my four-week notice to quit my tenancy, which would have meant that the council would have had no responsibility to re-house me at all.
“I said to them that I’ll stop paying my rent, and that by issuing an eviction notice, they’d be doing me a favour.
“At least if I have an eviction notice, the council are responsible. Even if it took a year or two, at least I’d feel like I’m making progress.”
In response to this, a spokesperson for Cartrefi Conwy said that the issues with the communal door and litter were in the process of being resolved, adding that it faces “unprecedented demand for housing” currently.
The spokesperson said: “We were informed of this problem with the bin store and responded promptly to clear it on the Friday morning.
“We also are working with residents to understand the issues and what we can do together to prevent this occurring again.
“Our specialist contractor carried out work on the communal door at the property on Thursday, April 7, and reported that it did close but needed a new handle and this was due to be fitted today, Monday, April 11.
“Each individual flat door at the property is safe and secure but we do take incidents of anti-social behaviour very seriously and work very closely with our communities to deal with such incidents.
“We are aware that the resident wishes to move to a different address and we can support tenants to do so.
“But in common with other social housing providers, we are facing unprecedented demand for housing and are prioritising those facing homelessness or in critical situations so wait times are longer.”
North Wales Police was also approached for comment, while attempts were made to contact Darren Millar MS.
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