Donegal men in London seek legal advice on flat that 'isn’t safe to live in'

Two Donegal men based in London have put out an appeal for legal advice having had to move out of their accommodation, which they believe is unsafe to live in.

Ryan Coyle from Newtowncunningham and Letterkenny native Edward Boyle, both 24, are living in London, working as graphic designer and bar man respectively. 

Late last week they contacted their landlord to express concern over the state of the ceiling in their apartment, which they first moved into in May, before the majority of the ceiling caved in. The apartment is currently carpeted with “an unknown black dust.”

They have been told they can get their deposit back on the condition they have their apartment completely vacated by this evening, which they say is not possible due to the short timeframe. They are currently sharing a bedroom with a friend and seeking guidance on the next step.

“Myself and my flatmate are renting a property in North-West London from a letting agency,” Ryan said. “Last Friday, we contacted our landlord, voicing our concern at cracks in the ceiling of our living area as the plaster had completely separated. 

“On Tuesday, the landlord had sent a contractor. This contractor’s solution was to ‘screw it back in’ and had requested a colleague to come and do so. This colleague arrived later in the day, and told us that this was a serious issue that needed to be resolved immediately as there was structural damage to the building. 

“He had removed parts of the plastering to ‘ensure nothing would fall.’  We then had to move our tv and tv unit to prevent damage. After he had removed this, he ensured us that the living area was safe to occupy. He also told us that the building is 140 years old and was worried about the state of the place.

“About 30 minutes after he had left, the majority of the ceiling had collapsed with both myself and my flatmate in the room. We immediately contacted the landlord and he stated that he ‘was not God and not a contractor’ and told us that there was nothing he could do. 

“Doctors had advised that it isn’t safe to remain in the property so we complied with this advice and made the landlord aware of this fact. Even though we had immediately vacated the building and closed the door so that no dust would get into other areas, the entire flat had been coated in this unknown black dust.

Ryan can be contacted on ryancoyle971@gmail.com

“We have been trying to get in contact with the council and local citizens' advice to no avail. We have exhausted all possible options regarding solicitors as well, who said they do not deal with this sort of situation. 

“We put our complaint in writing to the landlord yesterday (Thursday). This will be our third night with no home. Luckily a friend has allowed us to share his bedroom but this cannot be a long-term solution. We were offered an alternative of us getting our deposit and rent back today  (Friday) provided we have everything removed from the flat by 6pm this evening which isn’t possible.

“This has severely impacted our quality of life and put great pressure on us. Please can someone offer any advice on the matter?”