Enterprise Way Residents Continue to Endure Faulty Lift
Southern Housing pledges to replace have not been delivered
Natasha Johnson - 'they don’t keep to their promise. It's not right'
October 28, 2025
Frustrated tenants of a development near Wandsworth Pak have hit out at their housing provider for making “false promises” to replace the lift in their block this year, as it keeps breaking down.
Residents of 27 Enterprise Way, which is managed by Southern Housing, have suffered for years as a result of their tall apartment block’s only lift repeatedly breaking down.
Natasha Johnson, 44, said: “It’s terrible. They promised this stuff and they don’t keep to their promise. It’s not right, and we’ve got to pay high service charge, high rent. It’s not fair on residents. They need to listen to residents.”
Tenants have outlined to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) in visits since 2022 how the lift’s failures have brought havoc to their lives, particularly affecting those with health and mobility issues. The affordable housing block has eight floors and 16 flights of stairs in total, with many residents left housebound when the lift breaks down as they can’t use the stairs.
Southern Housing told the LDRS in 2024 it planned to replace the lift this year, as it was approaching a point where it needed modernising. However, as October draws to a close, the lift has not been replaced and continues to break down. Residents said they had not been given any update on when a new lift would be installed.
The housing provider has now told the LDRS it will not be able to replace the lift until later next year due to “unexpected delays”, including requirements to comply with safety regulations. It apologised for problems residents were experiencing with the lift and said it provided extra support whenever it broke down.
But residents slammed the housing provider for failing to keep to its pledge to replace the lift this year, as they described the ongoing impact of the issue on their lives. They told the LDRS they felt Southern Housing did not listen to them, but it was quick to take their high rents and service charges.
Natasha said residents felt trapped in their own homes by the lift repeatedly breaking down, which impacted their physical and mental health. Natasha’s daughter has sickle cell disease, and she previously had to carry her down 14 flights of stairs from their seventh-floor flat when she had a pain crisis and the lift was not in service.
“All we want is a new lift,” Natasha said. “We’ve gone over the same problem over and over again. It’s not getting better.”
The mother-of-three said she recently had to call the fire brigade when a man was stuck in the lift, as the alarm was not working.
A childminder who lives in the block, and wished to remain anonymous, said she was suffering with back pain after falling down the stairs when the lift was not in service last week.
She said, “The stairs were wet and I slipped. It was terrible and because I work with children, trying to get all of them up the stairs was awful. [I don’t know what I’d do without] the help of the neighbours taking the pushchairs up so I could take the children up.”
The faulty lift at Enterprise Way
The residents described how people living in the block were exhausted by the ongoing issue and felt dismissed by Southern Housing, who had made “false promises” about its replacement. They want a new lift to be installed urgently.
Natasha added, “We shouldn’t have to feel trapped when the lift isn’t working in our own places.”
A Southern Housing spokesperson said, “We’re sorry for the problems residents have faced with the lift at 27 Enterprise Way. Although the lift is currently working, along with the alarm system, an intermittent service is one that we continue to work on improving.
“We remain committed to modernising the lift at 27 Enterprise Way and, in order to comply with Building Safety Regulations, we’re following the appropriate process. There have been unexpected delays in our plans to replace the lift due to some factors outside of our control. This includes our need to understand and comply with requirements of the new Building Safety Act.
“It is extremely important we comply with the requirements for the safety of all residents. Although we’re working our way through this process, which we started last year for 27 Enterprise Way, we’re not expecting work to start until later next year.”
The spokesperson said Southern Housing supported residents when the lift broke down, including by providing a porter service to assist with carrying shopping and buggies upstairs, while staff contacted vulnerable residents to ask if there was any extra help they needed.
The spokesperson added, “During the recent outage, we relocated two families to hotels as the lift door, which had been damaged by misuse, was broken for seven days. We also send text messages to ensure all our residents are notified immediately when there is a problem with the lift and kept updated on any repair timescales.
“We will continue to work closely with our residents to address any outstanding issues within their building and we take their concerns extremely seriously. We would always encourage any residents who have concerns to reach out to our staff, who remain on hand to help and support.”
Charlotte Lilywhite - Local Democracy Reporter