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From: S (Leaseholder on Tanner's Hill)
Date: 4 August 2014
To: 4 senior managers at Lewisham Homes
CC: Other leaseholders in same block
Hi C, M, E, and A,
With regards to the original statement of work, we have repeatedly been told (by Lewsham Homes managers) that these SoWs represent the worst case scenario. Any work can be done so long as it is within the bounds of the SoW provided at the onset of works.
The SoW said you were going to 'replace' pigeon netting that had never in fact existed?
—Don't worry, it was only an estimate; we'll never be charged for work that doesn't need doing.
You miscounted the doors in the block?
—Don't worry, it was only an estimate; we'll never be charged for doors that don't exist.
The same item was quoted twice on the SoW?
—Don't worry, it was only an estimate; we'll never be charged for work that doesn't happen.
We have always been told that anything on the SoW was fair game — so long as it overstated the work, everything was good.
Conversely, this implies that should any work EXCEED the stated allowance, residents would be consulted before work began and a new SoW issued.
Today I spoke to Mitie reps on site. I learned that not only is this brick re-pointing work on my block going significantly deeper than planned (i.e. 50 mm versus 20 mm), there's also significantly more of it. The original statement of work calls for 30 square metres of brick re-pointing (items 8.2.0, 8.2.0 again, 8.19.0, and 8.20.0).
The sum total allotted for this work is £921.78. That averages out to £30.73 per square metre. As there are 25 units in the block this equates to £36.87 per leaseholder on the block for brickwork re-pointing. As per Mitie, at some point in the past few weeks they were instructed to change this plan, and re-point the entire block. This amounts to approximately 2,000 square metres instead of the originally proposed 30.
Using the average figure shown above, the new cost would be £61,452. This equates to a charge of £2,458.08 per leaseholder for brickwork re-pointing — an increase of £2,421.21 per leaseholder. However, recall that the original SoW called for the re-pointing to go only 20 mm deep, whereas they are in fact having to 50 mm deep. This extra depth is creating extra work for the Mitie team, and making each square metre take longer. One assumes therefore that additional charges will be incurred as a result.
Please explain to me how it is that you're able to undertake expensive additional works in direct contradiction to the statement of work you provided at the outset of the programme.
Thank you.
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From: S (Leaseholder on Tanner's Hill)
Date: 6 August 2014
To: 4 senior managers at Lewisham Homes
CC: Other leaseholders in same block
When can I expect a response? If you're going to spend an extra £2,500 of my money without consulting me, I expect a swift response to justify why you did so.
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From: S (Leaseholder on Tanner's Hill)
Date: 7 August 2014
To: 4 senior managers at Lewisham Homes
CC: Other leaseholders in same block
I note that three days have passed since I first queried this unapproved extra spend of more than £60,000. That is £2,500 of my own personal money you have spent without consulting me. Please explain.
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From: S (Leaseholder on Tanner's Hill)
Date: 8 August 2014
To: A (Lewisham Homes)
CC: Other leaseholders in same block; lhleaseholders@gmail.com
I find your lack of concern for your customers in this matter incredibly disrespectful. Please note I will now send this query to as many media outlets as I can find contact details for.
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From: A (Lewisham Homes)
Date: 8 August 2014
To: S (Leaseholder on Tanner's Hill), J (Lewisham Homes)
CC: Other leaseholders in same block; lhleaseholders@gmail.com
I am very sorry no one has responded to you. I have now personally allocated your case to J, who will contact you today and bring the matter to a resolution.
Can I suggest you address all future correspondence to J to avoid any confusion with multiple addresses. If you have further problems, feel free to contact me again.
My apologies.
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From: S (Leaseholder on Tanner's Hill)
Sent: 8 August 2014
To: A (Lewisham Homes)
CC: Other leaseholders in same block; lhleaseholders@gmail.com
Thank you for responding. Is there a way I can tell to whom my correspondence should be addressed in any given case? I have found that I frequently make the wrong guess, as I find your job titles confusing. Perhaps they make sense to an industry insider, but I find them inscrutable.
I have taken to addressing all my correspondence to all managers who I think might be related to my query / request. From my perspective this is frustrating, as it generally means NOBODY responds. No doubt it's also annoying for the individuals receiving so many messages from angry residents, particularly if those messages have been sent to the wrong manager.
Thank you.
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From: J (Lewisham Homes)
Date: 8 August 2014
To: S (Leaseholder on Tanner's Hill)
CC: Other leaseholders in same block; lhleaseholders@gmail.com
Hello S,
As you know from A’s e mail he has asked me to contact you today to try and resolve the outstanding issues or at the very least understand them. I have tried to find a telephone number to contact you on but have been unable to find one.
I’ll be here for another hour or alternatively I can call you Monday to discuss how we make progress on the outstanding matters you’ve raised.
In the meantime as A has said, please address any issues you may have in the first instance to me and then I will ensure you receive a response.
If I don’t hear from you today have a good weekend and I hope to talk to you on Monday.
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From: S (Leaseholder on Tanner's Hill)
Sent: 8 August 2014
To: J (Lewisham Homes)
CC: Other leaseholders in same block; lhleaseholders@gmail.com
Thank you. I appreciate you stepping up so swiftly. Thanks for the offer of a call. I'd greatly prefer to resolve this in writing, though.
If you scroll all the way down to the bottom of the mail, you'll find the details of my query. The rest of the thread is just me repeatedly asking why nobody is responding.
Thanks again.
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From: J (Lewisham Homes)
Date: 8 August 2014
To: S (Leaseholder on Tanner's Hill)
CC: Other leaseholders in same block; lhleaseholders@gmail.com
I’ve read through the e mail and will seek clarity on the issue regarding the original statement of works. C is away until Tuesday and I have put a meeting in his diary to discuss this and other matters that A and I picked up on our walkabout at Tanners Hill this morning.
Although I may not be able to provide you with a comprehensive answer on Tuesday I will provide you with an update on what I have asked C to do and by when.
Please let me know if you have any further issues.
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From: S (Leaseholder on Tanner's Hill)
Sent: 8 August 2014
To: J (Lewisham Homes)
CC: Other leaseholders in same block; lhleaseholders@gmail.com
Thank you. I would appreciate that.
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From: J (Lewisham Homes)
Date: 12 August 2014
To: S (Leaseholder on Tanner's Hill)
CC: Other leaseholders in same block; lhleaseholders@gmail.com
I have met with C (Lewisham Homes) and as promised I am providing an update of what was discussed. I have asked for the following to be done:
- Understand how the additional costs have arisen and what the sign off process for this is. This will mean discussions with our consultants and I will report back further when I get a full explanation of how they have occurred.
- Clarification on what we are doing to hold Mitie to account about clearing up the site at the end of each day.
- Have these issues raised as a Stage 1 complaint.
I will be meeting with the director from Mitie to talk through these and other issues raised for Tanners Hill and will incorporate an update in your complaint response. If he is unavailable to meet before the complaint response is due then I will follow up the main issue of cost with an update on the other matters raised.
Thank you for your on-going patience in this matter, I will make sure that you are kept up to date as and when we receive information.
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From: S (Leaseholder on Tanner's Hill)
Sent: 13 August 2014
To: J (Lewisham Homes)
CC: Other leaseholders in same block; lhleaseholders@gmail.com
Thanks again for your diligence in this matter. Based on conversations I've had with leaseholders around the borough this week I can see you've had a very busy week!
Has there been any further progress on this? Specifically, has a formal stage 1 complaint been raised? I haven't received a new reference number.
Thank you.
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From: O (Leaseholder on Tanner's Hill)
Sent: 13 August 2014
To: J (Lewisham Homes)
CC: Other leaseholders in same block; lhleaseholders@gmail.com
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