On a recent wet afternoon I counted 15 leaks from blocked gutters and downpipes at Rutland Court, London W3 0HL. According to photos taken in previous years and the amount of green slime present some of these leaks have been ongoing for several years. Note the damage to the ceiling of the porch on the right (Staircase 19-24 Rutland Court). (Note: Only 3 of these 15 leaks are illustrated in this article.)

If you are the owner (leaseholder) of a flat on the HHGE the Directors will expect you to personally pay for this damage through the service charge.

Note the fern flourishing in the pond of water at the base of this blocked downpipe next to the entrance to 19 to 24 Rutland Court W3 0HL. Photo taken 19 June 2019
This leaking gutter is causing damage to two flats (Staircase 1-6 Rutland Court). In the first floor flat the water is damaging the ceiling of the balcony which will have to be replaced. If you are one of the 255 flat owners you will be expected to pay for the repair work out of your service charge payments even though you are ALREADY paying 2 of the directors Lloyd Paxton and Ian Collier to maintain the HHGE buildings in good condition.

In the ground floor flat immediately below the leaking gutter the splash-back from the leak will almost certainly be causing damp to the ground floor flat resulting in condensation damage. The HHGE directors will expect the owner of this flat to pay for the damage personally. However if the Directors have been informed in advance about the problems and the consequences then fortunately the Directors can be held personally liable for fixing the cost of the damage.

Leaking gutter and blocked downpipe at Staircase 31-36 Rutland Court. Photo taken 19 June 2019
Staircase 31-36 Rutland Court W3 0HL.

The consequences of allowing large amounts of water to continually leak under the structure of the building can be quite severe and expensive to correct. See this article about the consequences of damp at Devon Court.