Ipswich Cardinal Lofts landlord and former resident Craig Bennett describes his experience after residents told to leave

A landlord at a block of flats which were evacuated for fire safety reasons has said 'every day is a struggle to survive' since residents were ordered to leave.

Craig Bennett, 33, revealed he and other leaseholders at Cardinal Lofts in Ipswich have lost significant income as they can no longer rent out flats due to the building being deemed unsafe for occupation.

Mr Bennett described himself as an 'accidental landlord' as he'd always planned to live there despite the complex being 'run-down'.

He and his wife Julianne left over a year ago, shortly after she fell pregnant, as they felt the issues at the complex meant it was no place to raise a child.

Since then they have rented out their former flat, after banks said it was unmortgageable, which made it difficult to sell.

The young family have since had to rent another property as they were unable to buy somewhere new, due to the fact the flat could not be sold, and due to additional costs of being a second-time buyer.

Mr Bennett, who works for a haulage firm in Felixstowe, said: "We could have auctioned it or sold to a cash-investor, but constant issues such as cladding, fire alarms going off and lifts breaking down meant it would have been difficult to sell.

"It's hard for everyone right now. The cost for us to rent elsewhere is obscene, and I was just about to small profit on our flat for the first time. And until last week, my wife was on maternity leave, so the loss of income caused every day to become a struggle.

"I didn't even realise the flats had been evacuated until I got a text from the tenant the following day, about how he'd been ordered to leave by police and fire and that they'd changed the locks so he couldn't get back in.

"It happened at 11pm on a Tuesday. We had no prior notice from the management company, and it became a struggle to try and clear the flat and find the tenant somewhere new.

"He was simply put on a bus and sent to Gainsborough Sports Centre, where he spent the night."

Mr Bennett's flat was on the eighth floor, which was one of the top three floors vacated when the original prohibition order was placed in November.

A full evacuation was ordered on March 14, which forced the remaining residents to leave their homes.

The tenant who lived in Mr Bennett's flat at the time of the evacuation was about to move out, and planned viewings had to be cancelled, meaning the flat has lain vacant since the issues first came to light.

He said there had been next to no communication from the managing company behind the flats, Grey GR or its owners Railpen, and no compensation for the loss of income.

Mr Bennett revealed several residents abandoned tenancy agreements as the alternative accommodation was of a lower quality than the flats – with some as far afield as Harwich or Colchester.

To receive alternative accommodation, they still had to pay full rent, which some have chosen not to do.

Mr Bennett revealed some tenants knew there were issues with the complex, but were unaware of the true extent – they thought it was more a situation of 'red tape' rather than deep concerns.

In discussion with other leaseholders, Mr Bennett said a few had to take on more work to keep their heads above water.

He said that while some landlords own multiple properties at the complex, and are involved in the flats for financial reasons, many leaseholders only own the single flat.

Mr Bennett bought his flat a decade ago in the hopes it would provide a valuable investment in the future.

It is currently unknown when tenants will be able to return to their homes.

Mr Bennett believed more tenants could abandon their agreements and seek new lodgings as it has become hard for landlords to convince tenants to stay on.

High service charges were also an issue and could cause costs to spiral, he said.

Mr Bennett said: "The entire ordeal has been devastating, not just for me, but for everyone who lived in Cardinal Lofts.

"Family try to ask me how I'm doing outside of the incident – but there is nothing other than that. It's on my mind all the time.

"I'm actively refusing to pay my service charges until Grey GR communicate with me.

"I wanted to get myself on the property ladder to help myself move upwards, but now we're in a bad position with the future looking uncertain.

"The management company have stopped returning my calls. Now, I have to question every pound spent. Things were tight before, but the situation just made things worse."

Grey GR has been approached for comment.