Galbraith Says Downpatrick Family Home Seriously Damaged Due To Lack Of Repairs
Downpatrick Councillor Conor Galbraith (SDLP) has said a family home has been left significantly damaged due to a failure to carry out timely repairs on their property.
Clanmil Housing have subsequently up-dated Down News on the state of the repairs to the property.
The ceiling of a family home in the Ardilea Close area has collapsed and “much of their furniture has been ruined after a leak from solar panels was ignored by Clanmil Housing Association.”
Councillor Galbraith added: “The family impacted said they had been informing Clanmil Housing for some time about leaks coming from the property’s solar panels and a significant smell of damp.
“Their pleas for repairs were ignored and when they arrived home at the weekend to find their ceiling had collapsed and a significant portion of their furniture had been ruined.
“This family was left with no support over the weekend, no alternative accommodation was provided and they were basically left homeless.
“Work is now on-going to make the house habitable again, but Clanmil appear to be pursuing a sticking plaster approach that will not address the underlying issues that caused this collapse.
“There are other properties in this area that are experiencing similar issues with solar panels and unless the housing association changes their approach to routine repairs we may see similar incidents in future.
“Everyone has a right to feel safe and secure in their home and I would urge Clanmill to listen to their tenants and take preventative action and carry out routine repairs before another family has to go through such an ordeal.”
Clanmil Housing Responds
A spokesperson for Clanmil Housing said: “We can confirm that a customer first reported a leak at their property to us on 29 April 2026. Our contractor attended the same day to assess the situation and the issue was quickly traced to the solar panel system.
“A specialist contractor attended the following day, 30 April, to isolate the solar panels within the home. As a precaution, the mains water supply was temporarily switched off.
“Both water and electricity were safely reinstated later that day. We apologise for any inconvenience caused during this time while we carried out necessary repairs. Disruption to utilities was for the minimum time possible to allow the repairs to be carried out.
“Our electrical contractor also carried out checks on 30 April and returned on 1 May to ensure everything remained safe and fully operational. Dehumidifiers were provided at the property to assist with drying.
“Our housing and property teams visited the customer on Tuesday 5th May to assist with clearing up following some ceiling damage and to arrange all necessary repairs.
“We intend to complete the remaining work to the ceiling in the property as soon as possible, and our contractors are currently on site working on this.
“Other than the repairs that are currently being completed as a result of this leak, there are no other outstanding repairs at this property that have been reported to us.
“Our records show that a number of other repairs identified by customers have now been completed, although we acknowledge that some repairs have taken longer than expected to carry out.
“To ensure any outstanding issues are resolved as quickly as possible, and that customers are clear about their responsibilities, we will visit all customers over the next week and offer a maintenance clinic with their Maintenance Officer.
“Our in-house maintenance team will also be in attendance to carry out on-the-spot repairs where possible.
For Clanmil tenants, see repairs process on the link below:
https://www.clanmil.org.uk/customer-area/your-home/your-repairs
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