Cost-of-living crisis: Belfast tenants hit by repair delays

Black mould covers the walls in several rooms of Thomas Higgins's Finaghy flat and his kitchen window did not open for seven months last year.

Mr Higgins rents his home from the Northern Ireland Housing Executive which is facing questions about delays to repairs for tenants in south and east Belfast.

It contracts the firm Engie to deliver maintenance services in the area.

Figures show it failed to complete 46% of jobs on time in July.

The figures obtained by the SDLP MP for South Belfast Claire Hanna's office also showed that 21 planned maintenance projects in south and east Belfast were delayed in the previous 12 months.

These projects included improving heating systems and installing double glazing.

Mr Higgins also told BBC News NI that a recently installed extractor fan does not work, and a noisy water pump took so long to fix that Belfast City Council issued his landlord with a noise abatement notice.

Mr Higgins lives in Moveen House, which is one of the tower blocks earmarked by the Housing Executive for eventual demolition.

It told BBC News NI it planned to make "substantial improvements including new windows and other measures to improve the comfort and warmth of the tower block".

But it could not confirm a timescale as it said it is still assessing what work is required.

Mr Higgins said his biggest concern was the cost of heating his home this winter.

"You couldn't afford to heat this place properly. You'd heat it 24-7 and it still wouldn't heat because the heat just goes out the windows. It goes out the doors. It's gone."

Ms Hanna said people should feel safe and secure in their homes.

"It's crucial that an organisation is put on these contracts so that things are properly graded and urgent repairs in particular are addressed quickly, but also that resource is put into making people's homes as energy efficient as we can do in the short period of time we have before the weather gets a lot colder and fuel gets a lot more expensive," she added.

Mr Higgins, who has arthritis, said he is already £1,500 in debt to his electricity provider and his heating runs on electric.

"Winter means pain," he added.

"Last year I managed to keep warm by dressing warm and putting the heating up which in turn means the bank balance goes down, the overdraft gets used, and that causes more mental anxiety, more mental stress and being in debt."

The Housing Executive has been grappling with repair delays for some time, but said the backlog in south and east Belfast had improved since July.

It said it has talked with several of its existing contractors over delivering maintenance services after "significant cost pressures and supply chain constraints" have had a major impact on the construction industry.

"We do face distinct challenges with an aging housing stock," it added.

"Our available income does not meet our investment requirement, and there is a substantial investment requirement and funding shortfall for this decade."

Engie's contract was due to finish at the end of August, but it has been extended until April 2023.

In a statement to BBC News NI it said it was working "closely with all parties to accelerate and prioritise any outstanding repair work".

"We have enjoyed a successful partnership with NIHE for more than 20 years and look forward to continuing to provide a quality repairs and maintenance service for its customers," it added.