Could this be illegal?
It depends on the country. In the US, yes, absolutely.
It wouldn’t shock me if it were.
If it is the only lift for the building it is likely a firecode violation…
You’re never supposed to use an elevator in the event of a fire.
It’s definitely an ADA violation, though.
This is in the UK, so the ADA does not apply. I am new to the country, so I don’t know how disability laws work here.
I would assume the UK has better protections of disabled people than the US, but I’ve been surprised before.
You might assume that, but in fact the ADA is one of the places where the US was ahead of the game in protecting people’s rights. It wasn’t always like it is now.
You would think so. From what I am gathering, there are a multitude of reasons why this is illegal. Since from what I can tell, the majority of residents (including myself) are foreign-born, I’m guessing that has something to do with why nothing has happened.
UK is THE land LORD regime… Good luck
People live in squalor and the state don’t care.
Oh I have no hopes for this being fixed. I’m just glad they have security now because from what I read, homeless people were doing drugs in the basement.
Now only I am doing drugs in the basement!
There also apparently used to be a rodent problem which has been solved.
If you want to find out more, you could try and contact the Citizens Advice Bureau - they may or may not be able to help directly, but if not then they would probably know who can.
Nitpick: There are elevators which are fine to use in case of fire. They have protections against serving as a chimney and somehow ensure that the passengers have air to breathe.
I’ve never seen one, though.
You are correct ofc, but the law (where applicable) is not for tenants. It’s for the Fire Dept.
As far as I know, it is the only lift in the building and I am not at all surprised by that. This building has a terrible reputation already, although it is apparently much better now that they have security guards.
But hey, it’s as cheap as a short-term 2-bedroom in the middle of an urban area gets if you want something fully furnished, so I can’t be too upset about most of it. Having to carry anything heavy up multiple flights of stairs sucks though.
