A Northern Quarter apartment block is being ‘treated like a hostel after it ‘got a reputation’ within the homeless community as being an easy place to access, a resident says.
Ian Roberts says that, due to a door ‘degrading’ over time on the 125-127 Oldham Street apartment building, it’s become easy for non-residents to gain entry. That has led to a surge in rough sleeping inside the block.
Ian says he’s even discovered rough sleepers in water meter rooms and the basement, with one homeless man reportedly saying he was there to ‘charge his phone’. Riverside, the company which manages the block, said it is ‘aware’ of an issue with the door.
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In the interim, Ian says that there’s nothing stopping rough sleepers ‘treating the building like a hostel’. He added: “It's the same door that has been there since the late 1990s.
“The connecting door broke and we were without a front door, really. The magnet they have fitted keeps falling out. I'm on the 3rd floor, and I find rough sleepers on my floor now. They use the water meter room, the door is open. It's warm.”
That means the building has a ‘reputation’, Ian continued. He went on: “I opened my front door on Saturday morning to a lad who refused to leave.
“It feels like a recipe for disaster. [Rough sleepers] are interested in the basement. They are treating it like a hostel.
“I have sympathy for them, but it's obvious the building's got a reputation in that community as 'we can go in at 3am'. One of them told me he came in to charge his phone.”
He says he’s tried to raise it with Riverside before. He explained: “ Me and two other residents have made it clear six or seven times. [Riverside] think it's tailgating. It's not - the door is wide open. Riverside said it's on us.”
In response, a spokesperson for the building managers said it was ‘aware’ of the issues. They told the MEN: “We are aware of reports of rough sleeping at Oldham Street, an apartment block in Manchester.
“An engineer visited the block on Wednesday, March 1, to check the fob access to the main entrance door. It was found to be working and the door secure but a potential intermittent fault with the magnet was identified, which may have resulted in unauthorised access.
“We have made it a priority to arrange a full repair, alongside repairs to the basement and meter cupboard doors to ensure they are both fit for purpose.
“We have also been informed that two bins have been stolen and would ask customers with any information to please report this to the police. It is Manchester City Council’s policy to charge for bin replacements and as Oldham Street is a leasehold block, all costs associated with the building are rechargeable to homeowners.
“We will continue to monitor the situation and ask that residents contact us via our 24/7 customer service centre should they have any concerns, but to please call 999 in the event of an emergency.”
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