Storm Eunice: Flat owner's year-long nightmare over roof damage

A woman whose home was damaged in Storm Eunice has said delays to repairs mean she has not been able to live there for almost a year.

Liz Winstanley said she had been living in "a nightmare" since the roof of her apartment block in Manchester was ripped off in February 2022.

Aviva, which owns the site, said it was seeking to recover costs from the block's designer and builder.

Developer Lendlease said there was no evidence of bad design or workmanship.

Ms Winstanley told BBC North West Tonight that she had had to continue paying her mortgage on the flat in Whalley Range's Orban Apartments, despite moving into temporary accommodation shortly after it was damaged.

She said on the night of the storm, she "walked into absolute devastation".

"There was water coming in through the plug sockets, through the light fittings, it was everywhere," she said.

"It only got worse from then on."

Several other flats in the building suffered water damage and three were left uninhabitable.

However, Ms Winstanley said there had only been temporary repairs carried out on the roof since it was damaged.

A surveyor's report seen by the BBC stated that the building's roof had a pre-existing defect that made it vulnerable to high winds.

It concluded that without that defect, "the damage sustained to the roof would be unlikely to have occurred".

Ms Winstanley said she had been told that meant her own insurance would not pay for any repairs and as a first-time buyer who had "put all my money into this", she was "not going to be able to pay".

"We've paid our service charge, we don't own that building, none of this is our fault," she said.

"It's not our responsibility."

She said her mental health had "deteriorated" because of the "horrific" situation.

"Every time I hear the rain, it makes me feel even worse," she said.

"It's been a nightmare."

Giles Carbury, who owns another of the flats in the property, said he was disappointed by the way it had been handled.

"Nearly a year down the track, there's not only no permanent roof structure in place, but we still don't know when the work will start, how much it will cost [or] if we will be liable for the costs," he said.

First Port Property Management, which manages the block, apologised for the delays and said steps towards "a permanent replacement roof" were at a "progressed stage, with works to commence in the spring, if not before".

A representative said residents would not have to pay for any repairs.

Developer Lendlease said it had had "no involvement" at the property "for well over a decade".

"We've responded to representatives of the current owner to indicate that there is no evidence that any design or workmanship issues caused these damages," a representative said.

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