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Amicus Horizon are fond of calling me a liar even though the truth has for several years left them no choice other than to accept that this site is exstremely accurate but for the sake of fairness please see the figures below which show what they claim are accurate figures.
Overall resident satisfaction 95%
Correspondence within target time 92%
Calls Abandoned 1.6%
Complaints responded to on time 84%
 Fall in comparison to last quarter.
Satisfied with handling of complaint 55%
Satisfaction with repair 95%
 Fall in comparison with last quarter.
Repairs fixed correctly first time 74.1%
Fall in comparison with last quarter.
Satisfaction with handling of Anti Social Behaviour 69%
These figures were issued by Amicus Horizon themselves and they say that they are accurate but I think they are very misleading and attempt to mask a serious and urgent need for this failing Housing Association to be placed under supervision.
There does`nt appear to be any estimate in this document that allows for the obvious percentage of tenants who are frightened to complain because of any possible reaction from their landlord. No percentage for those who would not complain because of rent arrears etc.
Overall resident satisfaction was taken from what percentage of 28,000 homes?
Correspondence 92% satisfaction how much correspondence do they get? and is the failing 8% correspondence from the same tenants that Amicus Horizon blacklist and refuse to respond to?.
Satisfied with handling of complaint. 55% is really gloomy and depressing and it makes no mention of how many feel they cannot continue or can`t because of disabilities - Lack of legal representation - Not aware that they could - Frightened - Can`t be bothered - Not skilled in repairs enough to be able to judge a good job - Don`t want to rock the boat - etc.
Repairs fixed correctly first time 74%!. What percentage of these were serious repairs that involved gas or electricity smake alarms etc. How many tenants are skilled enough in DIY to know if a job is well done or not?
I would say to Amicus Horizon that you should not proudly publish these figures because they are disgraceful. Surely someone at Amicus can see that they need to rid themselves of incompetent builders and save money by spending more on reliable contractors. What percentage of those failed repairs had to be passed to an alternative contractor?
Consider these facts supplied by Amicus Horizon.
Income from rent One Billion Pound! - Government Grants for building and other things - Lottery funding etc etc then read those percentages again. Dismal!
24th,Jan,2010
Amicus Horizon residents benefit and are safer when their landlord is under strict supervision.
The last time Amicus Horizon were placed under supervision their figures improved that is how they got out of supervision. Now their figures repairs/complaints etc are as bad as they have ever been. Everyone: The residents/local homeowners/The area and the company would benefit from a thorough investigation and a long period of supervision.
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Your MP
Amicus Horizon
Expert Local Legal Advice
28th January 2010
Booker and Best local Hastings builders are finally replacing our door it has taken months to get this done and it  has taken a hard fought campaign involving solicitors-surveyors-MP`S-The Human Rights Council-Shelter- Hours and Hours of work to get done what should have been done with no fuss or bother.
This time they sent someone who knew their trade. They probably call him The Cleaner like Harvey Keitel in Pulp Fiction and he probably spends his life going out and clearing up all the disasters either way its a relief that it has been done and that we now have a bedroom again (or will very soon)

When this began I asked Amicus Horizon if they would allow Booker and Best to sort things out but they said no. Booker and Best asked if they could sort things out and Amicus Horizon again said no. Now only after it has become a legal dispute have they allowed Booker and Best to do this installation properly which goes back to "Proper management" Does any charitable organisation have the right to throw money away? This job which would have been classed as a minor installation 8 months ago probably now has the price tag of a small house extension and it proves once again that the most expensive part of Amicus Horizon is their cheapness. If workmen are allowed an hour to fit a door-20 minutes to service a boiler and so on then there will be problems because some houses are old most are different and the whole concept is extremely wasteful in the end. Amicus Horizon is overflowing with managers and they are all competing to be star players but the truth is they hardly have a clue what they are supposed to be doing they over protect their company to the very boundaries of legality and some of them put the tenants of this charitable association at serious risk.
Anyway-all we have to concentrate on now is the ceilings-the damp-the leaky walls-etc.

Roberts family are being temporarily rehoused in Eastbourne while his 5 year old house is repaired estimated repair bill for the 10 houses in Beckley is allegedly hovering around £500,000.

When I spoke to Michael Fosters p.a they seemed surprised that Amicus Horizon are a charity but that is what they call themselves and they are in obvious urgent need of supervision and investigation because they are not only failing miserably as a housing association they are badly misfiring as a supposed charity. Every charity I have ever known has to operate with prudence and common sense no genuine charity would allow vast amounts of income to be wasted on bad administration.
If the evidence I have submitted is accepted as being robust enough then Amicus Horizon will also have to face criminal charges. It is about time the authorities had zero tolerance with Amicus Horizon, most of our teenagers will grow up to be sensible adults. Amicus Horizon at best will grow up to be a bad example.
29th, January  2010
Booker and Best came round today and took photographs of our new door which I have no objection to because if you are into doors it is a very fine example of good workmanship but I do think it is very rude and not very nice to come into my house without even letting me know that he was here and to start taking photographs without asking. I know that many will think that I am being too picky and maybe its true because we don`t exactly have a good relationship but the fact is I do think it is wrong.
It is also a great pity that he did not take photographs of the damaged lounge ceiling-the damaged bathroom wall-the damaged bedroom ceiling- the cracked front wall-the water dripping from the light fittings-the stairs-the missing insulation from the loft-the roof spread-the damaged clothes-and so on. I am very happy that they have finally fitted my door they have done an excellent job but the facts are (as the photographs will show) that this is not a typical example of an Amicus Horizon installation and neither is it a typical example of workmanship by Booker and Best for a social housing landlord. This is one of those escape prosecution jobs that could not have been given more grudgingly.
My gas is back on but they did not photograph that either.
So I am genuinely  and sincerely grateful that this door has now been properly installed and is now no longer a danger but it is really nothing more than a very delayed replacement to a very dangerous and faulty installation. The fact is they finally did one thing the way it was meant to be done in the first place.
01/02/2010
hi graham,Just a note to say thanks for all you do,i have started a new site on m.s.n. called Bad Amicus Horizon, Please post on this site, i no it will get loads of hits and Amicus Know its up!Do you play guitar,i have played for 25 years,blues i like,anyhow,thanks again for all you do your a STAR. regards robert poile
Hi Robert,
I am very glad that things are turning out better for you now after such a long time you deserve to win and if I have been a help in any way then its been my privilege.
Yes I do play guitar and I teach online (free) to anyone who prefers making music to hanging around on street corners. A Blues fan are you? theres a few blues fans in this house Robert lol we`ll have to get together sometime it would be nice to meet you odd that despite everything we`ve never actually met.
I don`t go on msn. I only went on there to add to your support and help keep o.w in his place.
Take care Robert check out Sams (my son) video`s on youtube.
01/02/2010
Michael Fosters office confirmed today that he had discussed our case with the directors of Amicus Horizon who have promised to send him a written report Mr Foster will contact me regarding our complaints after he has  had time to consider that report. Money! Money! Money! talk costs lots of it. Reports!... Enquiries!... Does this mean that if that report excuses Amicus Horizon that a precedent will be set and from now on all Amicus Horizon dwellings will have to have water running down the bedroom walls and dripping from the light fittings? If it does it will probably be the cheapest option because we are certainly not the only tenant with repair problems.
Seriously though I am grateful to Mr Foster for even taking the time to enquire but I have been through the inspection/report stages of Amicus Horizon many times and they are dead ends but I thank you for trying.
Our landlord Amicus Horizon said to us:You are definitely entitled to compensation. Darren Goodsell.We will get all of these repairs completed within 16 days: 24th/06/2009
02nd/02/2010 still waiting
02nd/02/2010
Amicus Horizon contacted us by telephone today to say that they will be coming out to inspect our house on the 5th feb. Mr Grimmer will be carrying out the inspection on the instructions of Mr Goodsell both have already inspected at least four times between them and taken photographs. Booker and Best inspected as well a little while ago and submitted their report to Mr Grimmer who on his last inspection told us that he was submitting his report to Mr Goodsell
I have no objection to them inspecting their property but the fact is once should be enough because it definitely does stop anyone enjoying their home if they are constantly waiting for the next visit and repeatedly pointing out the same things. No doubt this inspection is for the report that their directors promised Mr Foster but I cannot see any reason why they could not compile a report from the previous inspections all of which are recent. The only conclusion that we have ever been given to any of these inspections is that a.) We have a serious problem or b.) It is our problem.
There is one inspection that never seems to get done and it is probably the most urgent and that is the thorough inspection and investigation of Amicus Horizon.
King of Bedlam 03/02/2010
Lord Falconer appears on the 2008/2009 records as chair of Amicus Horizon financial returns.
That is simply a statemtent of fact. I notice on the annual review that they claim that 75% of repairs were correct first time. They made 56000 repairs and 4000 property upgrades. They say they recieved 1300 complaints and 55% of people were happy with the way compalints were handled.
Look at it the other way. 57% of complaints wer about repairs. that should mean around 650 dodgy repairs. Yet their repair rate says 6500 repairs were wrong. 45% of people were not happy with the way their complaints were handled.
This tallys with R4's You and Yours work on Amicus
The details are on the Amiucs website.
Amicus Horizon figures all add up to nothing more than nonsense but even those they publish are very poor. Lord Falconer is not aware of individual tenants complaints the fault lies with each individuals housing manager. We will be putting up a video showing children playing with asbestos Amicus Horizon records and minutes from past meetings will show that we asked them to deal with this problem in 2006 and they agreed that they would. Amicus Horizon are in a terrible mess but until they accept that and stop wasting time and vast amounts of money covering things up it will only get worse. It amazes me that so many good people are struggling to find a job in this country yet there are those who no matter how hard they try cannot get the sack. The next time Amicus Horizon change their name they should consider confused.com
torybarman 03/02/2010
what interests me about this thread is the mentioning of non compliance to building regulations. we make iron gates and railing as well as handrails in and around sussex, anything that is subject to planning permission is subject to building regulations. we often make bits and pieces that are subject to building inspection and building regulations (juliet balconies and handrails etc), which is done by a council inspector ( i have often heard many of them refered to little jobs worths). we have never had problems as long as you play by the rules. Many council inspectors want it to the letter of the building regs. New builds on the other hand are inspected by the NHBC (national home bodgers council as i call them) half of them dont have a clue or just dont bother to check things properly. bang out of order really as many building regs are there for safety reasons.
Vicarbob 03/02/2010
What is the name of that 'noble lord', who is supposed to be in charge of it all?
His name is on the tip of my tongue
Lord Falconer
Hastings Borough Council 01/02/2010

Re: Notice of entry; Housing Act 2004 Section 239 (5)
Regarding your complaint concerning the conditions at your dwelling, I am writing to confirm that I shall be visiting the above mentioned property on tuesday 16th February at 10.00 a.m.
I have also notified the owner of the property that I am undertaking an inspection, as I am required to do by section 239 of the Housing Act 2004. I have also however, also advised the owner that there is no requirement that he/she be present when I inspect your accommodation
David Palmer Senior Technical Officer
02/02/2010
Amicus Horizon told us on the telephone today that Mr Darren Goodsell had ordered Mr Grimmer to inspect our property again because he is very keen that our repairs are done as soon as possible.
This is the same Darren Goodsell who refused to do the same repairs on several occasions. The same Darren Goodsell who Amicus Horizon labelled a Star Employee who trains other employees. The same Darren Goodsell who on tape told me to sue Amicus Horizon. The same Mr Grimmer who told us "you have sons get them to do it" The same Mr Grimmer who refused to reply to at least six requests for repairs.
Both Mr Grimmer and Mr Goodsell have denied on many occasions that Amicus Horizon are responsible for the repairs/maintenance as specified within the terms and conditions of our housing contract and in response to my last question to Mr Grimmer "When did Amicus Horizon last paint the outside of our properties?" Mr Grimmer replied 4 or 5 years ago. Our housing contracts firmly state that they will repaint every 4 years. So far we have had replies from other residents showing (so far) that this work has not been done for at least 9 years. Please keep them coming you pay for this maintenance as part of your rent. If you are unemployed they are accepting benefits that pay for this as a part of your rent.
05/02/2010
I have a suggestion for Amicus Horizon and that is that it is not necessary for their tenants to suffer all of this disruption and upset. If Amicus Horizon were to negotiate a block cover contents insurance for their tenants it would probably not amount to more than £1.00-£1.50 per week per household they could collect it through their rent (and charge a reasonable collecting rate) the tenants property and decoration would be safe and Amicus Horizon would not have to pay for all of their repairs or any compensation unless the insurers thought it ought to be recovered from the landlord and if there was a problem with a repair the insurers would just do what they always do and tell the contractor to do it again and this would also free up more income for this charitable landlord who would have a very reduced contractors bill. I`m not sure how an insurance company would feel about working with Amicus Horizon but they could always change their name.
08th February 2010
Organisation that is the key!
I received a letter from Booker and Best today dated the 05th feb saying that they wanted to arrange to come out and repair the holes in my ceiling but they had been unable to get in touch with me. This letter is not untypical, what makes it so odd is that their manager was talking to me in my home while he carried out his inspection on the 05th feb. Amicus Horizon were also here so I have a very reliable witness, and they telephoned me twice on the 05th and both times I answered the phone and spoke with them. The reason I bother to put this up here is because the last time that Booker and Best were in my home but claimed they were not I got an eviction notice from Amicus Horizon for not letting them in.
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12th/02/2010
I have a little catching up to do with the posting because I`ve been ill but I wanted to start with this one because I think its quite funny and typical of Amicus Horizon.
Amicus Horizon came out on the 05th feb as arranged to carry out their inspection of all areas of our four bedroomed house. It was Mr Grimmer who called to inspect accompanied by a man from Booker and Best as usual not a notebook between them and the inspection from the time they knocked on the door until the time that they left lasted exactly 3 minutes 34 seconds, the man from Booker and Best was`nt here the entire time because he had to get something from his car. During the time they were here they checked the loft and joists, all four bedrooms, the stairway, the dining room and outside areas at the back of the house where he took photo`s of the paths, and then they checked the electrics.
It is difficult not to be impressed with the speed because the time taken includes conversations. The list of work that Mr Grimmer says they are going to do is pretty long so hopefully he will remember but somehow I have my doubts considering how many times they have failed to keep their word in the past.

Amicus Horizon have stated that they are going to repair: Spread roof, replace loft insulation, check water tank, ballcock, covers, repair joist upstairs landing, repair ceilings, repair area in back garden 30ftx10ft, repair outside steps, make changes to and repair electrics, reposition extractor fan in bathroom, repair front wall of house from top where it has moved due to the spread roof and replaster, repair rear wall of house the same and I expect leave us to redecorate when they have finished.
It is`nt just Amicus Horizon who should click on the links below
16th/02/2010
Mr Grimmer has proven once again that his word is useless not that that comes as any surprise. Booker and Best now repeatedly simply claim that they have been unable to contact me which shows that they can lie as proficiently as their employers. So if you have learnt anything from visiting this diary of a bad landlord it should be that you should choose your building contractor very carefully indeed because some just don`t care how much damage they cause.
I sent a copy of one of Mr Grimmers tapes to the BBC today following their Panorama programme last night.
One glimmer of hope was the visit from the council STO who seemed genuinely confused by some of the explanations I had been given by Amicus Horizon and seemed much more interested in finding solutions.
Amicus Horizons disabled adaptation officer also came out today and apart from offering me a handrail just kept repeating no comment over and over again. When I pointed out the terms of my tenancy agreement and showed him how he was in breach of it he said? No comment.
I was very unwell today but half a dozen diazepam and the same amount of tramadol later (not all at once lol) and I am ready to carry on, and carry on I will until Amicus Horizon have to explain themselves to a judge. I doubt that they will laugh quite so much at him/her.
Two men visited from Amicus Horizon yesterday and one introduced me to the other as the painter who would be painting all of my damaged ceilings. I am not here for anything else he said only to deal with the ceilings. When he left he said the painter would return in three weeks time to commence work.
Today 17/02/2010. Booker and Best arrived to paint the ceilings did`nt get in because we did`nt know that they were coming because Amicus Horizon had already employed another painter. No doubt Booker and Best will accuse us of denying them access.
A question of Honesty
I have written to Darren Goodsell to ask the following question.
Dear Mr Goodsell could you confirm in writing that the people you have arranged to carry out work in my house are of good character?
18/02/2010. daz27081985
This door is dreadful, I hear so many bad comments about booker and bests crafsmanship, if the metal door lining was a problem then it should have been removed and a timber one put in, it is absolute rubbish that a handle canot be fitted, you get recessed finger handles which are slim line and enable the door to slide past the lining, the head of the door is the most important as smoke rises and there should be smoke / fire strips around the perimeter
As Mr Goodsell declined to reply I have repeated this question to Mr Steve Walker and I have asked Mr Foster MP to help me obtain a clear reply from Amicus Horizon
1066ha 18/02/2010
Hi daz. I think that they assume that the water dripping from the ceilings will quench any flames. The quality of their work is very poor indeed and amicus horizon (our landlords) have an even worse record for repairs. Thank you very much for taking the time to comment it is very much appreciated
18/02/2010 daz
t
Thats ok I work for a building company and have tried approaching amicus to offer services but booker and best have a contract and I never get anywhere to try and do work with them
1066ha. 18/02/2010
That is one of the big questions that Amicus Horizon refuse to answer. Why do they continue to use Booker and Best their record is dreadful and even when other authorities (Rother Council) stop using them because of a lack of quality Amicus Horizon still insist on inflicting them on their tenants it makes you wonder how they get these contracts. We all need someone with real authority to peek under the stone marked Amicus Horizon and give some of us some much needed support.
Watch on youtube and read description to see why this video is here
19th/02/2010
Amicus Horizon have offered to paint our ceiling.

22nd/02/2010
We received the council inspection report today which basically states  that under the housing health and safety act 2004 Amicus Horizon must carry out repairs to every room in our house. It also rejects Booker and Bests inspection and orders the repair of the spread roof and the leaky walls and many other repairs. Thank you Hastings council it took nearly five years to get to this but
thats because Amicus Horizon are happy to break the law.
Booker and Best inspected this property less than three months ago and said that there was no sign of spread roof damage or and signs of water/damp. Amicus Horizon have been refusing to do these repairs for almost five years knowing that to do so was/is a criminal offence. I hope that a similar report is returned on our pathways and steps which should allow us access to our gardens. The above are not the only criminal offences Amicus Horizon have been happy to commit there are many more and we will pursue them all. Amicus Horizon need to be prosecuted and placed under close supervision.

23 February 2010


Mr Lawrence Talbot
Holden & co Solicitors
By hand


Dear Mr Talbot,

Since speaking to you on the telephone today Graeme has had a very bad attack and is really unwell so he is asking me to write this letter to you so that contact over the coming days with Amicus Horizon cannot become confused or distorted because of the effects of his illness or the drugs he must now take.
Graeme has asked that you request that any contact from Amicus Horizon could be directed to you until his condition improves? For the present apart from being in constant severe pain and constant dizziness his drug intake while in his present state is Daily:500mg naproxen (to which he is allergic) 30 mg Lansazaprole. Diazepam 15 mg. Durogesic Transdermal patch Fendanyl 50mcg/hr 8.4 mgs. Tramadol 400mg.
These are very powerful medicines rarely given to out patients and show the level of pain control required by my husband. These medicines cause a very marked effect on his ability to read/write or make decisions and for those reasons he will not reply to letters or engage in telephone conversations with Amicus Horizon.
The conditions that we are forced to live under are greatly exacerbating his health and the speed of his recovery from these attacks and the stress of fighting for his rights and those of his family are greatly increasing the already severe stress and strain that he has to cope with.  It was necessary for paramedics to attend him tonight and for him to get help from seadoc and it is at times like this that it brings home to me and should do the same for those selfish vindictive people working at Amicus Horizon that the suffering that they are causing is very real and extremely damaging to Graeme and terrifying for me and our children so please could you just for the next week or two request Amicus Horizon to address their arguments to you until he can once again take over.
I would`nt ask if it was`nt so important.
Sincerely,
Lisa Morgan
It is very demeaning to have to publish personal hardship like this on a public site but we do so in the hope of gaining support from ordinary Amicus Horizon tenants who know exactly how difficult they are to deal with because the shameful truth is those who are in a position to help don`t really want to know. The Hastings Observer are far more interested in protecting their big customers like Amicus Horizon and Booker and Best and Hastings council are far to reliant on Amicus Horizon for them to properly protect their constituents so we have to fight the best way that we can and even if it means a loss of dignity or respect we will continue to shine a light on the illegal and deplorable methods employed by Amicus Horizon.
Hi lisa,
i am so outrage to hear that you and yours are still suffering at the hands of amicus horizon, Jane porter is directly responsible for your situation and i will be calling for her to resign in the court, and on the steps of the court after the trial in front of the cameras, in my opinion she is not fit to
hold her office as chief ex of any company, They are refusing to pay our out of pocket expenses in our forced move, although the law say upto £500. can be paid "see decant procedure". The reason is they want to upset me so i will call them up ,and then I'm back in court, well,im not going to take the bate. We have turned down two offers ,the 1st was £27k, the next £32k with out prejudice offers. We are ready for the trial of Amicus horizon although it will impact on my health, this will damage amicus horizon as all the facts will be laid before all to see. Tell Graeme we are thinking of him, and we hope he does not have to suffer at the hands of jane porter and her staff for to much longer, i will be emailing as many newspapers and tv news as i can think of .We should get a year off the harassment as that is how long it is going to take to mend our house in beckley we will put in for an exchange with someone in eastbourne when all is fixed. I know its so easy to say but keep
thinking you will beat amicus when you get your day in court, also as you know they don't like our postings on the web. The bullies will not win.
AMICUS HORIZON NEED TO BE PROSECUTED AND PLACED UNDER CLOSE SUPERVISION.
I also got a report today from an expert witness involved in our case, can't wait for the day when i can publish it on the web,i think that the police will have to have a copy as i think fraud may have been commited,and then the audit commission will need a copy so they can put them into close supervision. Today my partner was seeing a friend at FARLEY BANK,HASTINGS, COULD NOT USE THE TOILETS AS NO WATER, SO SHE GOT IN HER CAR AND WENT TO A FAMOUS BURGER CHAIN AND USED THEIR LOO'S. Amicus told the tenant to call southern water and southern water say and i think that there right no it your landlord Amicus horizon problem, to say that this is a health issue and should not be happening in the uk in the year of our lord 2010, i think would be some what of a understatement.The clock is ticking AMICUS HORIZON i will be calling our friend in FARLEY BANK HASTINGS TO SEE IF THE PROBLEMS WITH THE PLUMBING IS SORTED OUT IN THE MORNING WILL UPDATE WEB TOMORROW.Can you not cope Jane porter is it getting a bit to much for you .
Hi Robert. its good to see you making such excellet progress I`m pretty ill at the moment not that I will allow that to make any difference. The Human Rights Commission are still considering my complaints as soon as I get all the results that I am waiting for I will send my files to the police and ask them to prosecute not that they will be keen to act against their masters.
I have not heard from Michael Foster yet because he says he is still awaiting replies from Amicus Horizon.
I find it ridiculous in this day and age that anyone who is in so much pain and has such limited mobility is not allowed the use of a proper toilet and bathroom. I have enough drugs to kill an elephant but not enough human rights to have my stairs fixed. At least hastings council seem reluctant to take the blame for any of this but if they don`t do something soon I will make certain they all have questions to answer.