A WOMAN who saw the floor of her flat fall away after vital repairs were not carried out says her landlord is "getting away with murder".

Amanda Cairns was forced to call out Glasgow City Council's Building Control officers to her flat in Dennistoun after its condition got so bad that she feared for her safety.

The council department then put in eight props to the walls to stop them caving in after they were unable to get a response from her landlord.

Amanda, 24, who works as a sales assistant at the Forge shopping centre, said the damage had been caused by a crack in her kitchen wall and dampness and flooding from a burst pipe.

She said the crack had been in the wall since she started renting the flat in Armadale Path, for £465-a-month from landlord Sanjay Cauleechurn last May.

Even though some surface decoration had been done when she first took up her tenancy, she said Mr Cauleechurn failed to address her concerns about the crumbling state of the flat's wall.

She said: "Around August/September, one of the pipes burst in my face. He sent a plumber to fix that, but it was from then on that all this started.

"There was water underneath and dampness. That is why the whole flooring has fallen in because it was wet all round it.

"And the walls are moving now with the crack. The crack has got bigger and made the hole in the floor bigger.

"I am stuck not knowing what is going to happen."

Last November, a plasterer carried out some repairs, but Amanda said he refused to complete them because he did not want to plaster over the surface of what was a bigger, structural problem.

Builders were then called out at the end of January and gave a quote of more than £6000 for repairs, but these were never started.

Amanda alleged the builders said they were not asked to take on the work because Mr Cauleechurn said he was unable to pay for the repairs.

On the one instance Amanda and Mr Cauleechurn did meet – on January 18 – they came to an informal agreement that Amanda would be given money to help her into temporary accommodation while the work was carried out.

However, Amanda said he did not provide enough funds to cover this and she stayed in the flat.

Mr Cauleechurn alleged she said she would give up her tenancy, which she is legally contesting.

Amanda and her lawyer have repeatedly called and sent letters to Mr Cauleechurn, but he has failed to respond to her, apart from one occasion to ask if she was still living there.

At the end of last month, she was so distressed that nothing was happening with repairs, she was forced to call Glasgow City Council to take action.

Mr Cauleechurn did not respond to the council's calls to address the situation, so they were forced to put in the props and officials are now in the middle of assessing the full impact of the disrepair.

A council spokesman said: "The council's Building Control team were called to the property due to a report of a dangerous building.

"They encountered structural problems and had to instruct propping to a wall within a flat on the ground storey in the interests of public safety.

"The works were carried out by Building Control because the owners could not respond.

"We are considering issuing a Dangerous Buildings Notice to have the matter rectified."

Amanda said she had not been able to move out of the property because she did not have the funds to pay for another housing deposit.

She has two dogs, Misha and Zack, which also make finding alternative housing a problem.

Amanda said the whole situation had also been detrimental to her health and that she was given anti- depressants by her doctor to help her cope.

She also said the damage meant her flat was consistently cold.

"I am trying to work round it. I am breaking down in work, and just trying to keep it together," she said.

"He is getting away with murder."

Amanda's solicitor, Joanne Gray, said: "We sent further letters to Mr Cauleechurn's legal representatives on March 1 and 7, but have not received a response.

"Our client is considering the possibility of raising court proceedings."

She has also made an application to the Private Rented Housing Panel.

Mr Cauleechurn's solicitors said they would not be able to comment on the case because they had not received instruction from him and did not know enough background to the case.

The Evening Times approached Mr Cauleechurn, who said Amanda had agreed with him to leave the flat, but on the account that it would end her tenancy.

He did not comment when asked about why he had not taken action to have the repairs to the flat carried out.

He said he was working with Milnbank Housing Association to solve the "problem" of the flat.

The Evening Times also approached Milnbank Housing Association, which is the factor for the building that houses Amanda's flat.

Alan Benson, the association's director, said: "I do not think the term 'structural damage' is accurate.

"There is a private tenant on the ground floor who called out Building Control officers, who carried out some remedial works.

"But we are working with the owner and a couple of other owners in that property to get the problem remedied, so I would say the owner has been as cooperative as he can be.

"There is a bit of settlement in the building that needs generally sorted, and I think in that particular flat there was a continuing issue of some water ingress.

"Wherever it came from, that has resulted in some of the timbers needing to be replaced, so there is a bit more work being done.

"But the owner has asked for us as the factor to get that work done for him and we are coordinating that at the moment.

"We have not received the notice (from Building Control), but I have spoken to him twice and we are in full agreement.

"As factor we can go in and carry out any required works, and as a sharing owner if any of those works are common, he is quite prepared for those works to be carried out."

fiona.mckay@ eveningtimes.co.uk