My life now

maddy2226

I was born at 24 weeks and I was born with spastic paraparesis. I had difficulty walking and I had to walk with callipers on my lower legs. It was very painful and I was bullied at school from day 1. It continued until I left school at nearly 16. My life has been tough but my Christian faith has helped me through it. I’m now 64 years old and I live in independent living accommodation. At the end of May our lift broke in our building are the warden asked for another one. With the lift broken the residents upstairs have had to use the stairs. It is very difficult using the stairs, especially as most of the residents upstairs are elderly and they have mobility issues. It is now august and we have been told that we will get a new lift in at the end of November. This is utterly unacceptable I’m in absolute agony with my legs and feet by going up and down the stairs. I went to the doctor on Monday and i was told that my feet and lower legs are seizing up, because of my spasticity. To thinking about another 3 months of going up and down stairs is intolerable. I’m so angry about this it’s not the residents fault or mine but we now have to suffer for another 12 weeks of pain and suffering. Can I claim compensation from the council??

kc1978

Hi,

I assume this must be a old building/lift if they are doing a new lift. Most lift problems are relatively easy to fix, however I know that some parts and electrical components have been delayed since COVID and we're still causing issues early in 2024. However May to November is a very excessive period. I would initially put in a complaint and ask for a time line of events, when did they report, when engineer visited, were parts ordered, when was decision made to replace and why is it taking so long to complete.

Solicitor definitely would be best to seek advice on compensation, as it will be a contract point. However if they have made reasonable efforts and not been able to fix due to manufacturing problems, or they tried to fix it failed, new lift ordered and it's a few months to deliver. They probably won't have to pay compensation.

If they have caused the delay so it took them months to book repairs, or they have waited to make a payment then there could be a claim.. get advice.

Could they not have put. Stair lift in temporarily? Have they considered alternatives? Most buildings now have several lifts for this reason.

If things are painful, maybe ask to move if a chance arises onto the Ground Floor if this may help in the future should your mobility decline.

Hope this helps.