Hounslow Homes Pass the Buck

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Bungling contractors throw away resident's possessions

Nursery nurse Mireille Ayres-Corsini of Edensor Gardens in Chiswick has found herself in a bureaucratic nightmare after contractors for Hounslow Homes mistakenly removed her family's treasured possessions from her storage space and threw them on the tip. After a battle with the authorities which has so far gone on over a year she is no closure to getting anyone to accept responsibility for the mistake.

When new neighbours moved in to a flat downstairs from her at the beginning of 2007 they requested that the storage space that came with the flat be cleared and the lock changed. Hounslow Homes instructed their contractors at the time, Crispin & Borst, to do the clearance. However, they cleared the wrong shed even though the one they were supposed to empty was clearly marked.

Sometime later when Mireille couldn't get into her space she went to the Town Hall to report the problem. In March the housing manager asked the neighbour for the new key so that they could look at the space. When it was opened they found it completely empty. Previously it had contained a large amount of the family's property including children's bikes and golf clubs.

She contacted the Council immediately and after many letters and phone calls eventually got a letter from Hounslow Homes' insurers, Zurich Municipal, stating that their client was not liable and that she should pursue the matter with Crispin & Borst. Crispin & Borst admitted that their employees removed Mireille's belongings once she produced a statement from a witness who saw them do it. Their lawyers, Vinci, said that they had reported finding the items to the Council who had told them to dispose of them on a local tip.

Mireille said, "I have done everything I can, following procedures, and got nowhere, even with a witness. This has caused so much stress and upset within the home, and I'm not sure where I need to go from here. I feel sick to think with all the evidence they continue to pass the buck."

She even contacted the police as there were discrepancy between the items listed as being disposed of and what was in the shed but they told her that it was a civil matter and they were unable to intervene.

Hounslow Homes have yet to respond to a request for a comment on this matter.

August 23, 2008