Residents forced out of newbuild seek more support

Residents say they have faced leaks, causing some ceilings to fall through

Residents who have been forced to move out of a newbuild block of flats beset with water damage, collapsing ceilings and sewage, are calling for the council to help with their fight for compensation.

The Fold in Croydon needs to be stripped back to its concrete structure so remediation work can take place to make the building safe after fire safety issues were also reported.

Residents are now calling on the council, in its roles as both landowner and local authority, to use its influence to hold the building's owners, Legal & General (L&G), accountable.

L&G, which owns the 251-flat building, has apologised and said residents' safety was its "top priority", with support and compensation offered.

Some residents say mould is causing them health difficulties

Despite only being completed in 2022, residents have said The Fold has been plagued by persistent problems that have included damp, mould and collapsing ceilings, the Local Democracy and Reporting Service has reported.

The building, where a one-bedroom flat was being rented out for £1,480 a month, is currently at 30% occupancy following the mass exodus enforced by the owners.

Resident Reuben Cox, who was preparing to relocate elsewhere in Croydon after receiving his notice last month, cited fire safety concerns as his primary worry.

"What confused me is that they said everyone needs to leave because it's unsafe, but somehow [their message was also] it's still okay to stay."

Tenants' union ACORN said at a recent council meeting residents had sought to clarify Croydon Council's role, and to seek support in their campaign efforts for fair compensation.

Its representative, Kane Newman, said: "It has been positive to receive support from some councillors, but more needs to be done in order to demonstrate the council's responsibility to support their constituents' statutory tenants' rights."

At the meeting, council officials acknowledged they had not directly engaged with residents since the announcement but promised to work with them and their representatives from the ACORN union.

Residents held a protest outside the Town Hall in October

The council said that while it still owned the freehold to Queen's Quarter, where The Fold sits, it had "no management responsibility" for the building as L&G holds its 250-year lease.

It added there was no formal process for managing potential conflicts of interest between its roles as landowner and regulator.

The council has also confirmed it was not involved in construction inspections and only began engaging after L&G raised safety concerns. London Fire Brigade was the lead enforcement agency for fire safety, it said, and that its role was limited to supporting investigations.

At the protest, they spoke to Mayor Jason Perry

A Croydon Council spokesperson said on 16 September and 20 October, a council representative attended an inspection of the building that was carried out by LFB. An environmental health officer from the private sector housing team also attended.

"The inspection sought to understand and assess reported fire safety deficiencies, which may relate to both the physical structure of the building and the documentation held by the managing organisation.

"The statutory body responsible is the Building Safety Regulator and we would encourage residents to contact them directly for support if they have not yet done so."

In a statement, L&G said The Fold's management was doing everything it could to expediate remediation and to support residents ahead of the March 2026 deadline for the building to be emptied.

The spokesperson added that it understood the "significant" disruption this was causing and that it had put in place "comprehensive support and compensation" which included the equivalent of four months' rent and an additional £1,000 per apartment to cover the associated costs of moving, with deposits returned in full.

"We are continuing to work with residents, both as a group and on a one-to-one basis, to address their needs in the best way possible," they added.