Gentoo apologises to tenants in Sunderland for repair delays as damage caused by Storm Malik leads to record number of calls

The housing group has stated that the damage caused by Storm Malik at the weekend has been added on top of the significant damage that was caused by Storm Arwen at the end of November last year.

Gentoo is now asking for tenants’ understanding as the group re-prioritises emergency repairs to the damage caused by the severe weather, which has impacted roofs, fences, gable ends and trees.

Having to already deal with thousands of repairs following Storm Arwen, Gentoo received a record number of telephone calls in one single day on Monday, January 31, with almost 3,000 tenants reporting damage or repairs in the aftermath of Storm Malik.

Nigel Wilson, Chief Executive Officer at Gentoo Group, has apologised to tenants who are still waiting for repairs but reassured them that everything is being done to carry them out as quickly as possible.

Mr Wilson said: “Storm Arwen caused a huge amount of damage, and we were already dealing with an unprecedented number of repairs caused by the storm. We were doing everything we could to carry out those repairs for tenants as quickly as we possibly could.

“Unfortunately, the severe weather at the weekend has caused further damage to properties right across the city, and in many situations, existing damage has been made worse.

“We are working as hard as we can to re-prioritise repairs that need to be made safe in an emergency.

“The large number of tenants attempting to contact us after the weekend was a record number, and this has resulted in longer than usual wait times on our telephone lines.

“We also know that some tenants are waiting for repair work to be carried out following Storm Arwen and we are contacting those tenants to reassure them the repair is in hand.

“We apologise for any delays tenants are facing and would like to assure tenants we are doing everything we possibly can do carry out these repairs.”

Gentoo has a list of repairs which it determines as an emergency, which tenants can see by visiting the Gentoo website at: www.gentoogroup.com/emergency.

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