14 September 2025
Had a nice round trip yesterday seeing the autumn Miniatura show at Stoneleigh and the N Gauge Show the other side of Leamington. Seeing what can be achieved just makes me more eager to get on with my own projects but I am still a little in limbo. I need to be able to set up the workspace properly and that is where the loft space is an ideal target, but which currently I am being told "you can't use". The reasons for which seem rather out of date these days?
I am expecting later this week to get an answer to the Stage 1 complaint over the handling of this that will apologise for not making it clear that I am not allowed to use the loft, but the fact that the tenancy agreement makes no mention of that situation is more than an 'apology' matter? Amending the tenancy agreement now gives me further grounds to challenge the situation?
I have already been making may notes for a Stage 2 response to that being the case. There are basically three things being quoted as reasons that the space can not be used, but all three, while they were relevant 40 years ago, today's regulations specifically address and so if I was living in a more modern social housing complex, they would not be relevant. That I do need to address the structural issues that the poor quality of the original roof system is exactly what I have been trying to discuss with the housing association for over 6 months ready for when I became an assured tenant. There has already been a complaint about some of the handling of that and yes I am in arrears on my rent as I am on housing benefit which pays in arrears, and now that we have had a PROPER discussion on that, which again should have take place when I moved in, I am paying and extra £10 a week which will result in my slowly being more and more in credit when housing benefit is paid!
So the three reasons given so far.
- Safety - it's not safe to use the space because it is not floored out and it's not safe to cover.
- Damp and mould - Not sure on that one
- The insurance prevents it due to the fire risk - In which case why is it not in the tenancy agreement?
All three of these applied to most buildings built before the 1991 building regulations, such as the flat here, but since that came into effect in 1992 these problems have been addressed. Social housing is not exempt from those regulations, and while builders will still cut corners, most find adding a few hundred pounds of flooring means they can add several thousand pounds to the sales price, even in 'affordable' housing.
Going into more detail, one of the things about 'fire safety' was that in many older building, social and private, the fire walls that are mandatory today were simply not fitted, so the loft spaces became communal. Had that been the case here I would have been kicking up a bit more of a stink before now, but the loft area is private to the flat. SO what other problems come under the 'fire safety' claim?
Damp and mould comes under a similar set of rules with loft space ventilation also now being addressed by current regulations. The fact that the flat here still only has it's now tired three inches of old glass fibre despite claims in the various energy efficiency certificates to the contrary can't be disputed and it something I am happy to add to the discussion.
I have added my own flooring in an area supported by walls below and make no apology for doing that as I had not been told I couldn't. What I would like to do is expand the area used which could provide a 6 metre square area which will take my G gauge railway nicely, but it does require additional joists to carry that weight, and what I have been trying to establish is just what will be required.
I have made mistake which have left me in the situation I am today, and I am currently expecting that I will be resident here for hopefully another 20+ years so I would like to make things comfortable for that period which making use of the loft space will facilitate and I see not problem in addressing the objections to that use? Roll on Friday.