Leaseholder wins ‘damp war’ against local council

Hackney Council has been ordered to pay a tenant £43,500 in compensation, following years of dampness and disrepair in her maisonette.

Ms Daimler, who inherited the property from her disabled aunt, instructed her solicitors to take action against the Council, after they repeatedly failed to repair a bowing front wall following renovations to the building in 1984.

Ms Daimler was the full time carer of her aunt until her death in 2003. Her house, bought under the Right-to-Buy Scheme, listed the Council as the property’s freeholder and responsible for structural repairs.

"All I wanted was the repairs to be done. The delays caused me anxiety and stress and I lost so much money because the maisonette could not be occupied," said Ms Daimler.

Linda Daimler also had her 20-year legal costs paid following the long running dispute over the condition of her Victorian terraced house in Highbury. The Shoreditch Court also forced the council to apologise for failing to comply with previous Court Orders over their liability for the 1984 renovations.

Bill Parry-Davies, Ms Daimler’s solicitor, claims the Council’s constant inaction cost the taxpayer £100,000, citing a "scandalous waste of money" in the aftermath of the Court’s actions.

"This has been an immensely complex case to resolve, the length of which has partly led to the large legal costs and compensation involved," a Hackney Council spokesman responded.

For more information regarding Landlord / Tenant disputes please contact Adrian Newborough on 01603 620508.