Camden tenants: ‘My £850,000 new build flat is now worth nothing’

Living in a newly built block of flats deemed unfit for purpose by surveyors has been a “nightmare for daily life”, residents have said.

The tenants of 53 Agar Grove in Camden say they have spent hundreds of thousands of pounds in legal fees fighting insurers and developers.

One resident, who bought his two-bedroom apartment in 2019 for £850,000, said the experience had “ruined his life”.

A government spokesman described the situation as “deplorable”.

When Daniel Bruce moved into the first house he ever owned, he hoped it would be his sanctuary, a place to build the next stage of his life.

But the 38-year-old told the BBC that the problems he has experienced “altered the entire trajectory of my life.”

He said there were problems with the foundation, that there were cracks in the walls and that the wooden structure was rotting.

Daniel added that the bathroom floors had collapsed, there was water damage, and that the window and door frames had been crooked, meaning they were stuck open or closed.

Demolition and rebuilding should be considered, an independent survey said.

The 150-page report, prepared for developer Prime Metro Properties last March, concluded that the building was “not deemed fit for purpose.”

It read: “We have serious concerns about the extent of inherent, built-in, and structurally significant defects that adversely affect the stability and integrity of the building.

“It is our opinion that there is no viable structural repair work that would restore the stability and integrity of the building.”

Bruce, who claims to have spent £100,000 in legal fees, said: “My future was stolen, my money was stolen, my mental health was stolen.

“It was going to be my sanctuary and it turned out to be the complete opposite,” Bruce said.

“There aren’t enough adjectives to describe what I’ve been through.”

Landlord and neighbor Alexandra Druzhinin paid £900,000 for a three-bedroom flat in 2019.

After being the first to move, the 49-year-old said she had been left “emotionally broken” by the ordeal which left her “paralyzed” and “crying a lot”.

She said: “It’s scary because I don’t know how long this building is going to stand.

“Basically, it wiped out all my savings. I don’t see an end to it.”

“I can’t work because all my time is taken up with the building. I hope it’s not like that, but I feel like my life is ruined.”

The Department for Equalization, Housing and Communities said it had written to the insurance company Acasta European Insurance Company Ltd to make it clear that it considered their behavior unacceptable.

A government spokesman said: “The situation facing the innocent residents of Agar Grove is deplorable, and we are pressing those involved to reach a just resolution.”

They added that the building safety minister had also written to Camden Council to offer support and see if there was enough evidence to take legal action.

Holborn and St Pancras MP Sir Keir Starmer wrote to the government about the case last December. In a follow-up letter, dated May 11 and seen by the BBC, the Labor leader said: “Unfortunately, for my constituents, there has been no positive development in the intervening months.

“Whatever activity your department has engaged in, it appears to have had no tangible benefit.”

Prime Metro Properties said it did not build 53 Agar Grove and employed an outside company, Cite Construction Ltd, under a design-build contract made “to a standard that was not met.”

A spokesman for the developer said: “Cite Construction have been made aware of all the issues within the building as they have materialized but have not been involved in any way.

“Salus (Building Control & Fire Safety Consultants) Ltd, the Government Deputed and Approved Building Control Inspectors, approved the Cites works and we trust their certificate that the construction by Cite was satisfactory even before we commercialized ownership and take over upon completion.”This project was undertaken as a long-term business investment in the utmost good faith and as a result we retain three of the seven floors and freehold ownership.

“We intend to obtain a schedule and commitment from Acasta to carry out the necessary structural work that will then allow us to address the remaining issues.”

Cite Construction, which built the apartments, told the BBC it was “happy to provide any information” that could help tenants resolve the matter.

Acasta European Insurance Company Ltd confirmed that it was the insurer “for certain warranty policies and latent defects relating to 53 Agar Grove”.

In a statement, it said: “Acasta is fully committed and is discussing the concerns raised regarding the property with all interested parties.

“We take these concerns very seriously and are committed to meeting any obligations under the applicable insurance policies.”

A Camden City Council spokesperson said it was doing everything it could to support tenants and was “urgently exploring what foreclosure options are available to us.”

Leicestershire-based Salus, the company that signed the building, declined to comment.

Additional reporting by Guy Lynn