After being evicted from their housing associations, elderly residents were outraged at the ‘Scrooge Housing Association bosses’ told to take wreaths down from their doors or face a £120 bill.
To add festive cheer to the retirement community, residents of the Joseph Conrad House in Canterbury decorated their homes with Christmas trees and lights. Hyde Housing wrote a series of aggressive letters informing them that they had to get rid of the fire hazards.
Hyde Housing asks residents to remove Christmas trees and plants from corridors and common areas.
The warning warns against failure to follow the instructions.
David Geoghegan says Hyde is acting like the Gestapo.
The move did not go down well with Hyde Housing who sent ‘aggressive’ letters telling them to remove the wreaths – because they are fire hazards (pictured from left: John Allan, Brian Goldsack and Wilhelmina Rijshouver)
People living in the Joseph Conrad House in Canterbury put up the decorations and Christmas trees to inject some festive cheer into the retirement complex (pictured from left, Brian Goldsack, John Allan, Wilhelmina Rijshouver and David Geoghegan)
David Geoghegan raised concerns after Hyde Housing asked residents of Joseph Conrad House not to hang Christmas wreaths.
He explained that residents have spoken out about the distressing nature of these letters, and that many people felt this was an unjustified and biased tactic.
“It is Christmas and there are no goodwill.
“The threat to send people to take down Christmas trees or wreaths is something we do not need, and that’s why we’re really angry,” said the 69-year old.
“I don’t understand how a wreath can be a fire hazard, because there are millions of them.”
John Allan is another resident who cannot grasp why wreaths can be a fire risk.
According to the 72-year old, “I’ve never lived in such an atmosphere.”
“I came here to live independently, and you are free to do what you want, but everyone is inspecting everything, complaining about it.
It isn’t a happy place.
“Some of these ladies are very upset by the entire situation.
Emma Oliver, Hyde Housing’s property manager sent a damning note to residents on Wednesday, requesting that they remove all decorations.
She wrote in her letter: “I am writing again to you all as you continue storing or leaving personal objects in the communal areas.
“This is unacceptable. These communal spaces are not intended for the storage and disposal of resident unwanted belongings.
The ‘Hyde Housing Association has a legal obligation to make sure that all communal areas are free of obstructions, including trip hazards and fire dangers and to use communal facilities appropriately.
No further inspections are planned. They are prohibited from decorating Christmas trees or wreaths on doors as they can be ignited easily.
“I will meet with the removal crew and, if they are still there I will remove them. If I can’t find the owner of these items I will charge the block the price of the removal.
‘The cost of these removals is estimated at £120. This cost will be re-charged to either the block or the person where it is known.
Audrey Williamson is Hyde’s head of Housing. She explained Hyde’s stringent policy and confirmed that safety for residents and buildings was the company’s “utmost priority”.
She stated that fire safety regulations prevented Joseph Conrad House residents from putting up Christmas decorations within the building’s communal areas.
“We understand that residents are looking forward to celebrating the holidays after a tough year. However, we need to keep everyone safe.
“Unfortunately, this does not apply to door wreaths as they can become highly combustible.
Although we cannot allow Christmas decorations to be displayed in many communal areas, there are still safe places where decorations may be put up, like the Joseph Conrad House Lounge.
‘The £120 was an estimated amount if Hyde was required to remove any of the items which present a risk to everyone’s safety.’