Letting agency oven row at Mandells Court flat in Norwich

Amie Marie, 28, has lived with her partner in Mandells Court, near Elm Hill, since 2019. 

Last November, the handle on her oven came loose, but what appeared to be a small problem has since evolved into a row with letting agency Musgrove and Co.

However, swiftly after the Evening News got involved, an electrician was sent to Amie's flat.

Amie Marie has been left fearing for her life after she was told that the wiring in her flat was unsafe (Image: Sonya Duncan)

"I started trying to contact the letting agency on November 15," said the playwright. "But despite promises that a contractor would assess the damage, they never came.

"In January, a team from Hughes visited to remove the old oven and install a new one.

"However, seeing the wiring in the kitchen, Hughes refused to do the work and instructed us to not use the oven or stove at all as it was a serious fire risk."

The oven handle broke last November, and Amie was told not to use the oven by electricians until it was fixed (Image: Sonya Duncan)

Five months after first reporting the issue, the oven is still broken, with Amie left with microwave meals and an air fryer.

She approached the charity Shelter, which offers support to those struggling in private tenancies among its services.

The former UEA student added: "I'm scared of a revenge eviction, but I am more scared of getting trapped in a flat fire."

Amie's fears stem from a fire at Mandells Court in the summer of 2021.

The block of flats caught alight in the summer of 2021 (Image: Archant)

The aftermath of the Mandells Court flat fire in June 2021 (Image: Archant 2021)

Fire crews from Carrow, Sprowston, Earlham, Hethersett, Wymondham and Loddon were all called to battle a blaze in one of the flats which took around four hours to extinguish.

It wasn't until almost 1am that the blaze was dealt with that night, in June 2021, but no one was injured - with the couple living there believing an electrical fault was to blame.

"I was there when that flat went up in flames," added Amie, who works in marketing and communications.

"I'm terrified that it could happen again."

Amie says she has contacted the letting agency more than 60 times in her desperation to get the problem fixed. 

Amie Marie with the faulty oven in question at her Mandells Court flat in Norwich city centre (Image: Sonya Duncan/Newsquest)

After the Evening News got in touch with Musgrove and Co on Wednesday morning, Amie confirmed an electrician appeared at her flat unannounced later that day.

David Musgrove, company director at North Walsham-based Musgrove and Co, said: "We are aware that the tenant is very frustrated, as are we.

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"We only took over the management of the property in December last year.

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"We hired a contractor to fix the issue when we became aware of the problem who, despite multiple attempts to contact the tenant, could not get hold of her.

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"The person who told her that they couldn't wire in the new oven in January because the wires were unsafe was a delivery driver.

"The property is NICEIC (National Inspection Council for Electrical Installation Contracting) safe and has a valid EICR (electrical installation condition report).

"A new cooker has been ordered and is due to arrive before the end of the week."

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