Tenants hammered by £5,000 DIY bill

BIG bill: George Brassington at his new Holts home with his bill from FCHO for his DIY work on a previous property

OLDHAM housing agency First Choice Homes has given former tenants a bill for £5,000 for repairs to a vacated house.

George and Ivy Brassington moved out of Cherry Avenue in Alt after 20 years, when they were offered the chance to move somewhere smaller.

Months after moving into their new house in Wildmoor Avenue, Holts, they received a bill for £4,977 to cover tenancy, electrical and cleaning works to their old home.

The Brassingtons were furious, claiming the work they did wasn’t sufficient to cause such a large reinstatement bill.

George (71) said: “We lived there for 20 years so were bound to change some things. We decorated, I put a shed in the back garden; I changed a couple of the doors inside to ones that were more expensive and I fitted a new sink in the kitchen. I also fitted a security light and moved a light in one of the rooms, but I got an electrician to do that for me.

“We’re pensioners and can’t afford to pay this amount of money. It’s unfair they’re taking this out on us.”

The bill is £178 for cleaning, £2,500 for a full rewire due to the DIY electrics, and £2,298 for works including renewing doors, skirting boards, the kitchen sink, worktops, floor tiles, the bath and bathroom ceiling.

FCHO spokesman Dave Woods said FCHO was within its rights to make the charge: “FCHO tenants have a right to make improvements and alterations but there are requirements to ensure works are carried out to a certain standard. Written consent must be sought from us before any work is carried out.”

The tenancy agreement also says reinstatement work to bring the house to FCHO standard will be charged to the previous tenant.

Mr Brassington has since come to an agreement with FCHO to pay back £3.60 a week towards the cost of the repairs.