Elderly residents left ‘trapped in lifts’ after repeated service failures
The award-winning Tower Court development. Photograph: Hackney Council
Frustrated residents have accused Hackney Council of “neglect” and “carelessness” after persistent breakdowns left people trapped in lifts.
One leaseholder from a block in Clapton’s award-winning Tower Court said they had reported elevator failures “every other week” since moving in two years ago, leaving them and others feeling unsafe and anxious about maintenance costs.
Ivan Cipro told the Citizen he and his family had faced repeated malfunctions at Peregrine Court, with only ad-hoc repairs made after weeks of waiting.
“It feels like the lifts could get stuck at any time,” he said.
“We started sending emails around two years ago when one of them broke down, and Hackney either came back to us very late after our initial request or referred us to other people.”
In an email sent to the council on 26 January, Cipro said it was unclear to residents if they were still being charged for lift maintenance despite the repeated failures and unreliability.
The properties are largely populated by Orthodox Jewish residents, who have been particularly affected by a failing Shabbat lift in the block, forcing elderly residents to climb flights of stairs.
Peregrine Court’s Shabbat lift. Photograph: Ivan Cipro
Shabbat lifts are passenger elevators with a special ‘sabbath’ configuration that does not require users to press any buttons.
This is in accordance with Shabbat law, which forbids Jews from using electronic devices during religious days of rest.
Cipro says responsibility for the service failures has not been made clear, and in some cases had been passed between the Town Hall and the developer, Countryside.
Meanwhile, meetings set up between council and residents to sort out the issues had been delayed or cancelled at the last minute, he said.
After the demolition of two blocks in 2014, the council co-designed Tower Court, which would contain 132 new homes “accessible and adaptable to all” and suitable for the area’s large Charedi Jewish community.
The complex is comprised of four apartment buildings: Barbel, Peregrine, Daubenton and Kingfisher, and won plaudits at the 2024 Hackney Design Awards.
Another resident, Sam, who lives in the neighbouring Barbel Court, also complained of “constant” breakdowns, with residents getting stuck in lifts “on a monthly basis”.
He told the Citizen this includes a recent incident where an elderly person was trapped for nearly one and a half hours until they were rescued by the London Fire Brigade.
“The situation was worsened by the excessively heavy door lifts creating unnecessary danger and distress,” Sam said.
“[This is] another glaring example of unacceptable conditions we are forced to endure.
“We are still paying a service charge that includes a management fee for this block, but the management of this development is wholly inadequate.
“It is unacceptable that we, as the leaseholders, are paying for a service that is not being delivered.”
Cipro told the Citizen on Thursday (6 February) he had been informed by the building’s manager that there was no appointed lift manager for the block.
He added that a month after the latest breakdown,the Shabbat lift had not been fixed.
A council spokesperson said: “We are aware of the issues with the lifts at Peregrine Court and are actively working with Countryside, the developer who built the homes and has been responsible for managing the lifts, to guarantee the lifts are fit for purpose before they are included in the council’s new lift maintenance contract.
“In the meantime, we are ensuring that we communicate better with residents through texts and letters where there are issues, and are ensuring that leaseholders are not charged for management and maintenance of the lifts until these issues are resolved.
“The lifts were inspected on 14 January, and all parties are meeting in February to agree a schedule of work to resolve the issues.
“We will update residents following this meeting.’’