Disabled dad living at Imperial Apartments in South Bristol 'suicidal'

He claimed he one woke up with a cockroach in his mouth

A dad-of-two says living at a controversial housing complex in Bristol is making him feel suicidal. Chris Seiles said he has given up on complaining to staff at Imperial Apartments despite the numerous issues he is experiencing, including once waking up with a cockroach in his mouth.

After witnessing a horrific attempted murder in Easton in 2019, Chris, who has fibromyalgia and arthritis, was swiftly moved to a nearby hostel, which he found unbearable. When the one-bed-flat in Hengrove came up in 2020, he applied, having nowhere else to go and believing that the move would be temporary.

Over the past couple of years, BristolLive has reported on many concerns from residents at Imperial Apartments, who have shared their worries about antisocial behaviour and living conditions there. In 2022, the council carried out a review into the former Parkview office complex in Hengrove and found that, while the site is 'suitable for many families with children', it admitted the situation required further improvement. There are 465 units of private rented accommodation at Imperial Apartments and Bristol City Council rents out 316 of them, more than two-thirds of the total.

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Caridon, which owns the building, said it is committed to addressing issues "swiftly and efficiently", adding it prioritises tenant welfare and that it responds promptly to maintenance and pest control issues. It added it is dedicated to ensuring all tenants live in safe, well-maintained homes, while also creating a positive, supportive living environment.

Speaking about his experience of the site, Chris said: “I'm depressed and feeling suicidal, this place is sucking the life out of me. It’s a vampire building."

He added: "It's tiny and now my boys are getting bigger it’s crammed when they stay. I’ve had two and a half years of cockroaches. They’ve hardly done anything and now they’ve just stopped.

“My three-wheeled electric vehicle was stolen from the bike sheds. They caught the person who did it but he is paying off a pound a week so it will be a long time until I get money back. I can’t count the amount of incident numbers I have from all the times I had to call the police.

“I've had my face spat on by a gang of youths calling me a grass. A van pulled up with someone threatening to smash my glasses into my face."

Chris said he has given up on trying to get support from officials at Imperial Apartments after being 'fobbed off' during all this time. Alongside the current issues he is facing with cockroaches, Chris claimed that over the last four years he has experienced threats and theft, as well as seeing flooding of communal areas and and a blocked toilet full of excrement next to the children’s soft play area.

Chris claimed that the communal toilet was blocked for over two years and has since been taken away. Now the toilet is gone, the smell of the communal children’s play area is no longer an issue, he said, but it means it is a 10-minute walk for him to get to a toilet.

Chris had previously struggled with his health but would sometimes perform poetry in pubs in Easton and had friends who used to visit him. In Hengrove, Chris said he has become isolated and that he often feels depressed as, other than when his children visit, he is alone in the flat where he feels completely stuck.

He believes that a lot of the children who live there are frightened and that, when he does take his kids to the soft play and they try and engage with other families, people ignore them. He said that his children, who live with their mum in Gloucestershire, are getting used to it but find it difficult to understand.

“I knew as soon as I got there I was going to struggle with the three flights of stairs and miles of corridor but I was told it would be temporary and there was no way I was going back to the hostel,” explained Chris who is currently on the housing waiting list.

“It’s a very daunting place to be, it takes 10 minutes to get out of the building, I’m in a lot of pain by the time I get up. Nobody helps you, I haven’t made any friends out here.

“I can’t carry my own rubbish, I have to wait for my support worker who comes out every Thursday. Last time I carried my own rubbish out I slipped on a pothole and fractured my arm in three places.

“I used to be a very sociable person but I’ve lost all my friends, nobody comes to visit me out here. Sitting on your own all the time, it’s very difficult to keep your spirits up."

Response from Imperial Apartments

A spokesperson for Caridon Property said: “Like all large developments, occasional issues can arise, but we are committed to addressing them swiftly and efficiently. We have consistently prioritised tenant welfare and responded promptly to any maintenance and pest control issues raised by our residents and we are happy to provide a full timeline of our response.

"Despite what seems like ongoing efforts to misrepresent the facts and our work when it comes to Imperial Apartments, we are confident that our actions reflect our commitment to tenant safety and well-being. We pride ourselves on being transparent and proactive in addressing genuine tenant inquiries and complaints, and it is crucial for us that the broader context of our efforts is understood.

"We responded immediately to reports of bedbugs, conducted multiple inspections, and engaged professional pest control to perform treatment where necessary. We even insisted on inspections when tenants expressed reluctance, ensuring the safety and hygiene of the property for all residents.

"Our team addressed the mould problems caused by external factors such as the burst pipe incident, with repairs and treatments carried out in accordance with industry standards. In all cases, we communicated regularly with tenants, offering guidance on mitigation and next steps.

"We have maintained open and transparent communication with tenants, local representatives, and stakeholders. Our response has always been swift and thorough, demonstrating our commitment to resolving issues in the best interest of our residents.

"We have a dedicated community engagement worker focusing on wellbeing, community engagement and parenting. We work closely with specialist third sector partners to address social inequality and exclusion, and continually support residents in all sorts of ways that go beyond housing.

"The narrative that we are neglecting tenant concerns is false. Our actions demonstrate the opposite - we remain dedicated to ensuring all tenants live in safe, well-maintained homes, while also creating a positive, supportive living environment.

"It is worth noting that housing allocations are made by the local council, not Caridon, and we do our best to accommodate the needs of every tenant within the limits of our available properties. In cases where tenants are dissatisfied with their housing, we work to find solutions, but we cannot move tenants to meet individuals’ personal preferences.

"What we can and do provide is safe, secure accommodation and extensive support services. Our focus will always remain on our tenants, addressing their concerns, supporting their well-being, and fostering a community environment."

Bristol City Council was approached for comment.