Odyssey House RTM

Intercom Dispute (LBA & S27A)

A complete timeline, resident impact, and our legal challenge regarding the Noralsy system failure.

The main entry intercom system has been non-functional since August 4, 2025. Despite this, residents continue to be billed for a maintenance contract on a dead system. This page documents the failure, the resident impact, the email paper trail, and our formal legal action.


The Human Impact

A broken front door isn't just an inconvenience; it breaks down the basic functionality of a residential building.

They've almost stopped attempting entirely. I had to get things redirected to a post office because they just kept not attempting and it had been a week.

Resident, Flat 11
Impact of broken intercom on postal deliveries

I've just had an argument with the postie. He was shouting at me asking me why the buzzer isn't working... I said there's no need to shout at me, it's just as annoying for us as it is for you. You've called me and I've come straight down, I can't get to the front door any quicker.

Resident, Flat 14
Postal worker frustration due to broken intercom

Timeline of Failure

Southern Housing initially claimed this was a simple contractor issue, but our investigation revealed a systematic failure to pay basic utility bills.

AUG 04, 2025

Intercom System Failure(1 attachment)

Main buzzer/door panel breaks. Residents report they cannot receive deliveries or allow guests to access the building.

AUG 15, 2025

False Assurance from Southern Housing(1 attachment)

Southern Housing claims job was raised to contractor DSSL (Ref: SLF 2073504).

AUG 28, 2025

BT Unpaid Bill Discovered(1 attachment)

Resident spends over an hour on the phone with repairs and discovers NACD can't fix the door as the phone line is on hold. Southern Housing hasn't paid the line charges.

SEP 01, 2025

Admission of 'System Error'(1 attachment)

Southern admits contractors never received the job due to 'system error'. First acknowledgment of failure.

SEP 10, 2025

The Discovery

Residents contact NACD directly. NACD confirms they told Southern on Aug 14 to check the phone line. Southern failed to act.

SEP 19, 2025

Root Cause Revealed: Unpaid Bills(1 attachment)

BT confirms the phone line is inactive/ceased due to unpaid bills since Aug 20. Southern Housing failed to pay the line rental.

OCT 22, 2025

The Blame Game(1 attachment)

Southern claims line was ceased by Bellway Homes as part of analogue switch-off without notification.


Email Correspondence

Below is the documented thread showing the progression of excuses and eventual admissions from Southern Housing.

Repairs and communication - odyssey house

From:Maddy Mitchell
Date:Aug 11, 2025
Response below

RE: Repairs and communication - odyssey house

From:Shaun (Customer Repair Advisor)
Date:Aug 15, 2025
Response below

Admission of System Error

From:Jonathan (Repairs Team)
To:Maddy Mitchell
Date:Sept 1, 2025
I've contacted the contractors directly to chase an update, and they've confirmed that no jobs have been received from us. This suggests there may have been a system error. To resolve this, I've now emailed the repair request and the fob request to them directly...

We are taking formal action to recoup the money lost through these unprovided services. Below are our working drafts for the Letter Before Action (LBA) and the subsequent Tribunal notice.

Draft Status

These documents are currently in DRAFT status. They are being prepared for dispatch by the Shadow Board.

DRAFT: Formal Dispute of Service Charges – Noralsy Intercom Failure (Letter Before Action)

From:[Resident Name / Shadow Board]
Date:[DRAFT - Pending Dispatch]
Response below

DRAFT: Notice of First-tier Tribunal Application (Section 27A) - Odyssey House

From:[Resident Name / Shadow Board]
To:[Southern Housing Complaints / Leasehold Management]
Date:[DRAFT - Pending 14-Day LBA Expiry]
To the Leasehold Management Team, Re: Escalation to First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) - Intercom Failure Following our Letter Before Action sent on [Date], to which we have not received a satisfactory resolution, please be advised that the residents of Odyssey House are now formally submitting a Section 27A application to the First-tier Tribunal. Our application will outline the following grounds: * Statutory Non-Compliance: BT confirmed the dedicated line was ceased due to non-payment by the Landlord (19 Sept 2025). * Unreasonableness: Billing for a "Door Entry" contract while the system is propped open and disconnected from the network is a breach of Section 19 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985. We will also be seeking a Section 20C order to prevent Southern Housing from passing the legal costs of this Tribunal process back onto the leaseholders through the service charge. Regards, [Resident Name / Shadow Board]

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