Like many of the residents living in Hengrove’s notorious Imperial Apartments, Lisa Richardson believed that her stay would be temporary. The council placed her in a tiny studio when she became homeless and four years later she still wakes up every morning facing her kitchen sink.
Nearly all the studios and most of the two bedroom flats are smaller than the government’s minimum space standards but the cramped conditions are just one of many challenges faced by residents stuck inside the converted office block. Residents have shared images, videos and reported incidents of rats, bedbugs, leaks, mould, damp and doors being kicked through at night.
Back in 2022, Imperial Apartments came under review by Bristol City Council which has a contract with Caridon who own the building. At the time the building was deemed unsuitable for families and a decision was made to pause housing them there.
Holly, who moved into her two-bedroom apartment with a one-year-old child four years ago, now has two children and regrets her decision to move in as a private tenant. “My five-year old gets scared when he hears people banging through the doors and sometimes wakes up in the night from the noise thinking that there is someone in our flat,” explained Holly.
Despite living in a two-bedroom flat, the family is crammed in, with little space for the children’s toys. Leaks, mould, bedbugs and encountering rats outside the reception area are just some of the issues the mother and her children have faced while living in what some tenants have said ‘feels like a prison’.
The security of the building means that the restricted fob access keys only allow tenants to enter their floor of the building where access their flats often involves walking down long, dark corridors with flickering lights. But despite this, Holly has found that people kick the doors through, either because their fob does not allow them to enter or they have forgotten it.
Cllr Kerry Bailes who has been contacted by residents at Imperial Apartments about ‘rats, fleas, bedbugs’ believes there is ‘a lack of adequate caretaking, maintenance and overall management of the building. Cllr Baies added that the “tiny, cramped flats are not suitable for families and the subpar living conditions present unique challenges for those with disabilities.”
Lisa who takes tablets for depression and is diagnosed with Fibromyalgia – a condition which results in pain throughout the body – has experienced bedbugs in her flat and mould inside her property. The 33-year-old who is trying for a baby has endured three miscarriages in the last three years and said that her physical and mental health has deteriorated since living in the tiny studio where she has to drain her dishes on top of her stove.
“In here I can’t move, I’ve got a tiny bit of space to get out of the bed and while I have to put shopping away I’ve hit my head a few times on the cupboard door, the last time I drew blood,” explained Lisa who struggles in the tiny flat which she says is too cold in winter and too hot in the summer.
Lisa who recently left her flat for several weeks while it was treated for bedbugs has returned to fresh bite marks and mould. She said: “I didn’t realise I had mould until a few nights ago.
“I’ve had a cough for a couple of months, when I cough I catch my breath and it keeps going and I can’t breathe properly.”
The floorboards outside her flat are currently being pulled up due to excess rain water causing damp and mould on the ground floor. “It smells like a sewer”, she added.
Terry Boyce, who has multiple disabilities and lives across the hall from Lisa, has been complaining about the excessive mould in his flat for several months and it has made it difficult for him to breathe. A visit from Environmental Health to his flat was due to take place on Tuesday, September 24 but was cancelled after management at Imperial Apartments decided to relocate him to another flat in the building the previous day.
“Imperial Apartments only does anything when Environmental Health gets involved,” explained Mohammed Lee Islam, who slept on a wet mattress for months before the leak to his ceiling was fixed five weeks ago. Unlike Lisa and Terry, the 57-year-old bus driver does not have any disabilities and has never had any health problems in his life but developed severe back pain and temporarily had to use a walking stick after living with a leak which caused him to change his mattress twice.
Speaking about his recent experience, the private renter said: “Right from around February of this year water kept dripping every time it was raining and all they would tell me to do was move my bed but I couldn’t move my bed. I suffered that for six months and I ended up on a walking stick.
“I can’t prove it was because of that but my back packed up. I had X-rays and everything. I changed two mattresses and they blanked every single email that I sent them for months and months and months and they kept saying, ‘we’ll fix it, we’ll fix it’.
“One day I tried to get up the steps and I couldn’t so I slept in my car. I’m off the walking stick now but I never had an issue in my life before that.
“They just changed the tone the moment environmental health got involved, they were never interested before that and they never offered me anything, no compensation or an apology, nothing. They just left me to rot.”
Response from Imperial Apartments
A spokesperson for Caridon Property said: “Like all large developments, occasional issues can arise, but we are committed to addressing them swiftly and efficiently. We have consistently prioritised tenant welfare and responded promptly to any maintenance and pest control issues raised by our residents and we are happy to provide a full timeline of our response.
“Despite what seems like ongoing efforts to misrepresent the facts and our work when it comes to Imperial Apartments, we are confident that our actions reflect our commitment to tenant safety and well-being. We pride ourselves on being transparent and proactive in addressing genuine tenant inquiries and complaints, and it is crucial for us that the broader context of our efforts is understood.
“We responded immediately to reports of bedbugs, conducted multiple inspections, and engaged professional pest control to perform treatment where necessary. We even insisted on inspections when tenants expressed reluctance, ensuring the safety and hygiene of the property for all residents.
“Our team addressed the mould problems caused by external factors such as the burst pipe incident, with repairs and treatments carried out in accordance with industry standards. In all cases, we communicated regularly with tenants, offering guidance on mitigation and next steps.
“We have maintained open and transparent communication with tenants, local representatives, and stakeholders. Our response has always been swift and thorough, demonstrating our commitment to resolving issues in the best interest of our residents.
“We have a dedicated community engagement worker focusing on wellbeing, community engagement and parenting. We work closely with specialist third sector partners to address social inequality and exclusion, and continually support residents in all sorts of ways that go beyond housing.
“The narrative that we are neglecting tenant concerns is false. Our actions demonstrate the opposite – we remain dedicated to ensuring all tenants live in safe, well-maintained homes, while also creating a positive, supportive living environment.
“It is worth noting that housing allocations are made by the local council, not Caridon, and we do our best to accommodate the needs of every tenant within the limits of our available properties. In cases where tenants are dissatisfied with their housing, we work to find solutions, but we cannot move tenants to meet individuals’ personal preferences.
“What we can and do provide is safe, secure accommodation and extensive support services. Our focus will always remain on our tenants—addressing their concerns, supporting their well-being, and fostering a community environment.”
A spokesperson for Bristol City Council said: “Imperial Apartments is privately managed by Caridon, who are responsible for providing safe and secure accommodation at this site. We expect all landlords to investigate complaints raised by their tenants and to take appropriate action when required.”
Fire safety officers from Avon Fire and Rescue Service are due to conduct an audit of the premises on Monday 30 September.