Rhyl man who has spent thousands on repairs to rented property criticises landlord

Malcolm Davies, a tenant of registered social landlord ClwydAlyn, has lived with his wife at a ClwydAlyn-rented property on Brynhedydd Road, Rhyl for three years.

Mr Davies, 53, highlighted a number of issues with the property, adding that he and his wife are paying almost £500 per month in rent, and receive Universal Credit and full Personal Independence Payment.

Last year, he added, the property was so cold that his wife stayed with a friend.

Their health issues include arthritis, angina, asthma and depression.

He said: “ClwydAlyn shouldn't have rented this to us because it was on a ‘F’ energy performance certificate rating.

“After a month being in the property, they had to change the boiler as it was faulty, and the water tank was leaking in the loft.

“So, they had to come out and put a new boiler in, which should have been checked, and the gas man that come out said we shouldn't have moved in there, with the state of the boiler and water tank.”

Mr Davies' home on Brynhedydd Road, Rhyl (Image: Malcolm Davies)

Mr Davies is also dismayed that he and his wife have had to pay for various repairs to the house themselves, at a cost of thousands of pounds, rather than ClwydAlyn.

These include replacing windows and radiators, and making amendments to their back garden.

He added: “Since we have been in the property, my wife and I have had to replace all the windows, which cost us over £5,500.

“Because ClwydAlyn don't have any money, we replaced the windows, because they were over 30 years old and letting in cold air.

“We also had to replace all of the radiators to make the bungalow warmer; yet again, ClwydAlyn had no funding for this.

“We did the back garden, because it was waterlogged, and have spent over £4,000 on that.

“Now, we have a problem with the floor, where all of the cold air is coming up. The bungalow is so cold, and we can't have our heating on because it's wasting money.

“I suffer from heart issues (angina) and arthritis, and my wife suffers from bad asthma, chronic depression, a very bad back, and arthritis.

“ClwydAlyn have been asked to pay to get the flooring done but they say, yet again, they have got no funding - yet ClwydAlyn has funding to build new properties.

“They don't care about their older properties. They don't care about their tenants that look after, and spend money, on their properties.

“ClwydAlyn should not be allowed to rent any property out, because all they are interested in is their rent money.”

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Ahead of the winter, Mr Davies is fearful of just how cold his home will once again become, and has pleaded with his landlord for support with their predicament.

He added: “We are going to have to buy a caravan, put it on our drive, and live in it over the winter, as the caravan is warmer.

“ClwydAlyn know we have health issues and disabilities, and they don't care.

“Where is all the money going they get from their rents? We are paying rent for something we’re not comfortable in, yet why should we move?

“You will probably find us dead; it is that cold.

“We have been very good tenants; we pay our rent on time, and every property we have left has been left nicely decorated, carpets left in, and have been able to move people in straight away.

“I have asked them to sign the bungalow over to us so that the bank will loan us the money so we can get the property done, and when we move or pass away, we would give them the property back through the solicitors.

“We feel that ClwydAlyn have treated us very badly, and that they don't care about our health issues.”

In response, a spokesperson at ClwydAlyn expressed sympathies with Mr Davies, but said that inspections and surveys at his home concluded that the property is up to standard.

The spokesperson said: “ClwydAlyn owns and manages over 6,200 properties across North Wales and we’re committed to offering the best possible service to our tenants.

“As part of this commitment, we carry out a rolling programme of scheduled work across all our homes to make sure they are safe, secure and well-maintained.

“This work includes updating the windows, installing new boilers and fitting new kitchens. Routine surveys of our homes are regularly carried out in order to prioritise maintenance work.

“Officers have visited Mr Davies’ property a number of times to discuss and assess his concerns and we’ve welcomed independent surveyors to carry out inspections.

“These surveys have confirmed that the property does meet current standards and no maintenance works have been highlighted.

“We understand that this may be disappointing news for Mr Davies, but we have a programme of work that is carefully planned and takes into consideration all of our homes across North Wales.

“We are committed to investing in our existing homes, and last year we spent £3.5million on energy improvements to over 900 homes.

“We are also working with partners on our plans to accelerate the decarbonisation of our existing homes as part of our journey to carbon zero, starting with the homes that need it the most.”

James Davies, MP for Vale of Clwyd, had also been contacted by Mr Davies about his issues.

He urged a quick resolution to the matter.

Dr Davies said: “Malcolm’s description of his ClwydAlyn-rented property is unacceptable, and I have huge sympathy for his position.

“I have been in contact with Malcolm recently regarding this matter, and I am providing him further support.

“I hope that a resolution with ClwydAlyn can be found quickly.”