Residents ‘watched on in terror’ as flames tore through the Dalston Lane block of the Pembury Estate last year.
The devastated victims of a Dalston fire last summer are demanding greater support and transparency from their landlord, Peabody, as they continue to await the chance to return home.
On 5 June 2024, flames ripped through the Dalston Lane block of the Pembury Estate, displacing all 50 residents. In the immediate aftermath, the housing association faced urgent calls to provide more assistance, as tenants found themselves in precarious living situations while speculation mounted over the cause of the blaze.
Months of uncertainty
Elizabeth Oppong, a Transport for London employee whose husband has a health condition, described the traumatic experience of being uprooted multiple times since the fire.
“Our flat was on the top floor, so we lost everything,” she told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS). However, when visiting the remains of her home in September, removal staff “broke [our] furniture up in front of my eyes and chucked it over the balcony. It was like our stuff was nothing, after 27 years.”
She added that they refused to dispose of her fridge – which had been packed with food and left dormant for months – unless she cleaned it out first.
“There was rotting black liquid… I can’t tell you how many insects were in there,” she said.
The first emergency accommodation the Oppongs were placed in was “infested with red ants”, and they have since been moved between various Airbnbs, currently living in Stratford.
“I’m happy that they’ve put us in a nice place, but I’m now paying £80 a month for both my daughter and my son to get to school and college,” she said.
Adding to their distress, Peabody failed to renew their accommodation booking at one point, leading to a last-minute eviction scare.
“At 6:30pm on 16 October, I got a call from the owners, Skyvillion Apartments, asking us to hand the keys back when we left in the morning,” Ms Oppong explained.
Though they were eventually allowed to stay, the ordeal left her anxious. “To go from having an assured tenancy to living on a rolling contract every 28 days – with no certainty that it’s going to be renewed – it’s just not a good way to live at all,” she said.
“Now I’m on tenterhooks every month.”
Residents left in limbo
Elizabeth Houghton, Chair of the Pembury Tenants and Residents Association (TRA), sent a formal letter of complaint to Peabody, criticising the housing association for leaving displaced residents in limbo.
“The repeated failure to put in place appropriate governance systems for monitoring bookings and communicating bookings to residents… is inexcusable,” she wrote.
Disabled resident Kazi said her family had been placed in a “downsized, damp and cold” property, which posed a risk to her son, who has chronic asthma.
“We just want to go home and put an end to this nightmare,” she said.
Neil, a disabled NHS worker and veteran, said he had initially been placed in accommodation lacking accessibility support. He also claimed that removal staff had discarded cherished possessions despite his explicit requests for them to be preserved.
Residents were previously advised to keep receipts for clothes purchased to replace smoke-damaged belongings, as Peabody had promised reimbursement. However, that promise has now been withdrawn, leaving many out of pocket.
Allyson Junes said: “Many relied on this commitment, and its retraction has left us feeling unsupported and misled during an already challenging time.”
Concerns over fire safety
Neil believes the fire was caused by the building’s solar panels, which were omitted from a previous fire risk assessment (FRA).
Independent fire safety expert Arnold Tarling called the oversight “defective and dangerous”.
“The chance of a roof catching fire without them [the solar panels] would have been nil,” he told the BBC in July.
Dr Houghton accused Peabody of having “direct personal knowledge” since at least 2020 that other FRAs for the Pembury Estate contained false information that could impact fire safety assessments.
Peabody has also been criticised for the effectiveness of its support staff. Though the housing association claims to have provided 35 dedicated neighbourhood managers (NMs) to assist displaced residents, Dr Houghton said these individuals are often under-resourced and lack local knowledge.
“Residents consistently complain about not being able to get in touch with their NMs, [who are] not responding to emails or phone calls,” she wrote.
She added that delays in the London Fire Brigade (LFB) report on the fire’s cause were partly due to Peabody’s insurers not yet confirming when evidence samples could be released for independent examination.
Peabody responds
Peabody said it was “sorry for any confusion” regarding reimbursement policies and encouraged financially struggling residents to reach out for additional support.
A spokesperson stated: “We understand living in temporary accommodation is not ideal for any of the residents affected by the fire and we’ve been working hard to support them all.
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“Every household has their own dedicated point of contact and is encouraged to raise any concerns directly with us. We also have a web page for residents, which we update regularly with the latest information.”
Regarding the fire investigation, Peabody claimed they were still awaiting the LFB’s findings and denied any delay on their part.
“We have always fully supported enquiries into the fire and continue to do so. We are as keen as residents to know the outcome of the investigation and we regularly contact the LFB to ask for updates,” the spokesperson said.
“Neither we nor our insurance company are doing anything to delay the findings.”
Council stance
In December, Dr Houghton asked the council whether it was satisfied with Peabody’s response to the crisis.
At the time, Councillor Sem Moema said the association had provided access to emotional and financial support “from the start” and had been “in regular contact” with each household.
When asked recently if the council stood by that statement, Cllr Moema said: “We have been liaising with Peabody and raising residents’ questions with them.
“I, along with ward councillors, will continue to support residents affected by the fire.”
For the displaced residents of Dalston Lane, however, the wait for clarity—and a permanent home—continues.
