Flat owners 'helpless' after ceilings cave in
A woman says she has been left feeling "helpless" after water started welling up beneath the carpets of her newly bought flat.
Sophie Manfield moved to Portland View in Bristol in November and is one of several leaseholders who said water had infiltrated walls throughout the building, causing ceilings to cave in and mould to grow.
The problem appears to lie in the roof, which residents claim was not built to the correct specification by developers, Barnett Developments Ltd.
The BBC have tried to contact Barnett Developments Ltd but they have still to respond.
Portland View is managed by Hillcrest Estate Management and has around 40 leasehold apartments in the city centre.
A spokesperson for Hillcrest Estate Management, who are responsible for the day to day running of the communal areas of the development, said they recognised the "seriousness of the roofing issue" and "regret the inconvenience" it was causing for residents.
"We are working to find a resolution and will communicate next steps to residents as soon as possible," they added.
However, they declined to answer any detailed questions.
Manfield said the problem with her home began soon after she moved in.
"I was showing people my new apartment, and they're stepping on the floor, and just pools of water are coming out," she said.
"It's awful but I think I just feel really helpless, and I don't know what else I can do."
"It's definitely affected my emotional and mental state, not to mention obviously the financial side of things," she added.
The BBC visited five apartments, all of which had water seeping in to varying degrees, while three had ceilings which had caved in.
Mark Bennett and Will Gawned said they feel trapped, unable to go away [on holiday], have people to stay or even sleep properly.
Their en suite has been out of action for several years.
Bennett said: "[The ceiling] started to sag and sag until finally someone said, that's going to fall down and it turned out the ceiling was completely waterlogged.
"At least we've been able to direct the water down the pan of the shower recess."
That is not the case in their spare room where they have collected between 50 to 60 litres of water a day, which has entered their flat through the ceiling.
Bennett said: "It's really stressful, and it's hard to sleep at night because we're kind of listening for rain, and the sound of this drip.
Work on the roof began this summer, but for unknown reasons, stalled during the heatwave, with workers leaving and not returning.
"The roof project has stalled and we're just kind of at our wits' end I think," said Bennett.
"It was only built in 2016, but here we are in 2026," he added.
Gawned added: "It feels like we're kind of trapped here - we can't leave - we don't want to sell and we love living here, but... we used to be able to have people to stay... and the smell of mould kicks up as well."
The residents said they are stuck between multiple groups with various interests in the building, who are blaming each other for the issues.
Manfield said: "It doesn't really matter to us who's at fault, we just need that action done.
"We need the roof to be fixed and we need the remedial repairs to our apartments and the communal areas to be done," she added.
A spokesperson for Hillcrest Estate Management, who are responsible for the day to day running of the communal areas of the development, said they recognised the "seriousness of the roofing issue" and "regret the inconvenience" it was causing for residents.
"We are working to find a resolution and will communicate next steps to residents as soon as possible," they added.
However, they declined to answer any detailed questions.
Loss adjusters have visited the building but settlements have yet to be communicated to the residents.
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