Tell Peabody: Nags Head tenants deserve safe homes

For too long, tenants at the Nags Head Estate have faced unacceptable living conditions, including persistent disrepair, damp and mould, and a lack of proper insulation. Despite repeated calls for action, Peabody Trust has failed to address these issues effectively, leading to severe consequences for residents’ health and well-being.

This campaign highlights the urgent need for meaningful engagement, proper maintenance, and tenant-led solutions to ongoing housing problems. The demands outlined in this letter are essential to ensuring that all tenants can live in homes that are safe, warm, and free from neglect.

Peabody CEO Ian McDermott earns a huge £374,189 per year.

Use the form below to send an email to Peabody CEO Ian McDermott and the whole Peabody board demanding that they meet the demands of Nags Head Residents.

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Text of letter to send

Dear Mr. McDermott and Members of the Board,

I am writing to express our full solidarity with the Nags Head Tenants Association in their campaign for safe, healthy, and dignified housing. The concerns raised by tenants regarding disrepair, damp and mould, inadequate insulation, and chronic neglect are deeply troubling. It is unacceptable that so many residents have suffered severe health consequences due to the ongoing situation in the estate.

No one should be sick because of the home they live in  and it is distressing to hear how Peabody’s failure to act has resulted in respiratory illnesses, mental and physical distress, and a total disregard for the needs of disabled tenants. The experiences of those living in unfit conditions, forced to navigate a fragmented and inefficient repair system, highlight systemic failures that must be urgently addressed.

While we acknowledge that some improvements are now underway, these efforts remain insufficient. Tenants continue to report incomplete and inadequate repairs, a lack of meaningful engagement, and ongoing issues such as pest infestations and unaddressed structural problems. It is unacceptable that those who have already suffered should now endure additional stress due to poorly managed works and Peabody’s continued failure to listen and act decisively.

I stand with the Nags Head Tenants Association in their demands for:

- Safe &amp; Warm Homes: An immediate and comprehensive plan to retrofit homes in consultation with tenants.

- Routine Maintenance: Regular upkeep of essential infrastructure such as roofs, gutters, drains, and communal spaces.

- Waste Management &amp; Pest Control: Effective and sustained measures to eliminate infestations and improve living conditions, including bin redesign and ensuring there is proper bin capacity per household, alongside effective pest proofing.

- Caretaker Capacity: Expanding on-site caretaker and maintenance teams to ensure proper waste management and cleaning of estate communal areas, including blocks, grounds, pathways designated to Peabody and under shrubs.

- On-Site Repairs: Strengthening the presence of on-site repair teams to reduce delays and improve service quality, through permanently agreed surgeries, and improved communication and engagement.

- Fit for purpose communal areas: Making communal areas such as bike sheds and storage areas usable and secure. Developing communal areas for drying clothes outside of the home and other tenant controlled spaces that benefit the community.

- Co-design of all works: Shifting to a community-led approach where staff are given appropriate time to engage and develop plans with tenants.

- A meeting with Peabody CEO Ian McDermott: A meeting with the CEO to agree the above.

The failure to provide safe and habitable homes 
is not just a breach of duty; it is a betrayal of trust. I urge Peabody to engage in good faith with tenants, meet their demands, and commit to long-term, tenant-led solutions that address the root causes of these issues.

Yours sincerely,

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