Legal bid to take over rundown Tividale housing estate

Trafalgar Court, off New Birmingham Road, Tividale is in such a poor condition police could not tell if reports of criminal damage were genuine.

The owner of eight out of nine blocks of flats there, Trafalgar Court Property Ltd, has previously been fined tens of thousands of pounds for continued failure to deal with repairs.

Today it can be revealed that a legal bid is being launched for the leaseholders, private landlords who own a few flats each, to have the right to manage the estate in the owners' place.

Barclay Property Services, of Hagley Road, Bearwood, is acting for those private landlords. If the challenge is successful, it will allow them to carry out repairs Trafalgar Court Property Ltd have failed to do.

The challenge is expected to cost around £5,000 and needed more than half of the flats' owners to back it.

John Walker, owner of Barclay Property Services, said he had the support of the owners of 28 out of 55 flats so far.

It is not expected that a decision will be made on the challenge, which comes under the Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Act 2002, for several months.

Mr Walker said: "Some of the landlords want the right to manage the estate so they can tackle disrepair in its communal areas.

"They want to see improvements around the grounds of the estate, the blocks of flats' roofs and other external features. I'm a specialist in this legislation and 28 of the owners of the flats are interested in pursuing this."

People living on the estate, which is made up of a series of flats on top of garages, say a number of the properties are vacant and being targeted by nuisance children because they have 'nothing else to do'.

One resident, 45-year-old Leigh Clarke, said: "People are very close to one another on this estate and look after each other.

"If it looked a bit cleaner and tidier people might not be coming in and smashing it up."

Windows are smashed at many of the homes, window frames are rotting from the outside, and many of the vacant flats have been boarded up in a bid to stop break-ins.

No damage was actually recorded as a crime there in the last year though, said police.

The poor state of the road has previously been raised by Sgt Sam Archer, who is responsible for the neighbourhood.

She said: "Trafalgar Court, Tividale, is in a shocking state.

"We are having reports of crime occurring but due to the poor state of the premises and garages we cannot tell if the reports are legitimate or not.

"We will be contacting local landlords and also Sandwell Council to see how we can work to improve the location." Trafalgar Court Property Ltd was previously told to pay £45,900 for failing to carry out repairs to dangerous stairs, walkways and porches.

And then last July it was fined a further £16,800 after not fixing the problems.

It was one of the largest penalties handed to a single landlord for these types of offences.

Councillor Ian Jones, the borough's regeneration chief, welcomed the move. He said: "Perhaps there is some light at the end of a long, dark tunnel for the people living at Trafalgar Court.

"There would be an incentive for these leaseholders to keep their properties in good repair, if this was successful.

"This could be good news and we will wait to see the outcome.

"I wish them well."