Housing association offers to buy back problem properties as MP calls for tighter regulation

The Clarion Housing Group has offered to buy back 58 leasehold and freehold properties from residents of Orchard Village in Rainham, following legal action from residents.

The east London estate was developed by Circle Housing before its recent merger with Affinity Sutton to create Clarion. It has been the subject of repeated complaints for over three years before residents recently decided to take legal action. Problems included a staircase giving way in one house and sewage going into the kitchen of another.

Clarion confirmed to Local Government Lawyer that it would buy back the properties and is expected to make offers to 58 of the 387 homes at Orchard Village. A spokeswoman for Clarion said: "Affinity Sutton was aware, prior to the merger with Circle Housing, that there were a number of service issues in parts of London and specifically at Orchard Village.

“We took the view that the best way to tackle these was to progress with the merger. The issues residents have experienced are unacceptable and it is the top priority of the new organisation to resolve these. In the two months since Clarion Housing Group was formed, its dedicated project team has already made significant progress in tackling the build defects to ensure that residents have the quality homes they were promised.”

In a parliamentary debate last month, local MP Jon Cruddas said that the project had been “dominated by questions of build quality, estate management, standards of repairs, the performance and costing of heating systems, fire safety, parking, exposure to various hazards, and many other issues.”

He added: “I suggest that Orchard Village estate should be a test case for the sector and its future direction, given the urgent need for greater independent scrutiny and regulation on behalf of tenants and buyers.”