London landlord evacuates building due to concern over rotting timber

The 67,000-home housing association said it had been busy investigating long-term options for the building already and would continue to do this in light of the latest findings.

A spokesperson for NHG said: “We have been investigating a series of defects as Kingisholt Court in West Kilburn over recent months, and the majority of households had moved into temporary alternative housing during that time to allow for remediation work to take place.

“In the course of this work, substantial wet rot in the lower structure of the building was identified and while there is no immediate risk, following advice from our structural engineers, we decided to move the remaining five households from the building. 

“They are now in hotels or serviced departments while we seek a longer-term solution.

“We were already investigating long-term options for the building and that will continue in light of the latest findings.

“We have engaged residents throughout this process and thank them for their patience and understanding during this difficult time.”

NHG’s latest accounts show it booked a surplus of £106.1m for the last financial year, despite a sharp fall in turnover from sales and development.

The G15 landlord’s latest accounts showed that sales and development revenue fell from £254.9m in 2021-22 to £108.8m in the year to the end of March 2023.

During the year, the landlord completed a review of its development projects.

This resulted in a stock write-down of four schemes under development and a write-down of four completed projects after factoring in a 5% reduction in the estimated sales price due to the current political and economic environment.