00:00At Samuels Tower in Chatham, residents say the problems are piling up. From broken lifts
00:05since 2022, reports of anti-social behaviour and leaks, to a potential rise in service costs to
00:11pay for the repairs, the problems are layered. But one of the biggest issues they have is just
00:16a few feet away from their front door. So down by their front door there is this huge pile of
00:21rubbish
00:22which some residents say has not been collected for a few weeks and some say not for a few months.
00:27So it's an issue that they say is not being dealt with or listened to.
00:32If I look outside from here now, right now, it looks really disgusting.
00:37And I'm worried for myself, my health and my mum who lives with me as well.
00:42Currently she is with her son in Wales. It's been like a couple of weeks she's been away now.
00:48And it's disgraceful. I want the agency, whoever is looking after this apartment,
00:54because I'm paying my monthly monthly rent to my landlady. And the thing is,
01:00it's not been sorted out. So I want them to please collect the bins.
01:05The property manager says the company inherited the long running problems
01:09and says the situation is far from simple.
01:12One of the biggest issues this site faces is fly tipping, which is a mixture of contribution by
01:18residents and people living outside the site as well. And it's constantly building up,
01:23constantly building up. And we'll spend a few thousand pounds every now and again getting it
01:28cleared up. And then within a week, it's back again. Unfortunately, this site has a need to
01:34address items like this in the form of antisocial behaviour, as opposed to looking after what the
01:42residents really want to see, which is, you know, improvements to the building and repairs and
01:47maintenance to more aesthetic items like, you know, redecorating, which has to be put on hold.
01:53Ultimately, the landlord can only do so with payment of service charge.
01:57A Medway Council spokesperson said,
02:00We are aware of the issues at Samuels Tower and have been liaising with the management company,
02:05which is responsible for both securing access to their bins and clearing excess waste,
02:10to encourage them to clear the site so our waste crews are able to access it going forward.
02:16The authority has been in touch with the management company to ask for a date for
02:20when this waste will be cleared and has advised it may consider using powers under the Environmental
02:25Protection Act 1990 and the Prevention of Damage by Pests Act 1949, if it's not cleared.
02:32For residents here though, the problems are not hidden in paperwork or service charge disputes.
02:37They are outside their front door, in the stairwells and part of everyday life.
02:42The question here is how quickly things will change.
02:45Kristen Hawthorne for KMTV in Chatham.
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