Residents moving back into crumbling Opal Tower after it was evacuated on Christmas Eve say the water hasn’t even been turned back on
- Residents began to trickle back to Opal Tower after more than seven months
- However, some residents have returned back to their homes to no running water
- Others were told they could return to only be shunned away for another 2 weeks
Residents of the troubled Opal Tower have returned to their homes after seven months of hotel living to find they are not fit to live in.
About 70 residents were handed back their keys on Friday with management informing them their properties were now deemed safe to occupy again after they were forced to evacuate on Christmas Eve last year amid fears the building could crumble.
But residents have been let down yet again, after returning to their homes to find they have no running water.
About 70 residents were given the all-clear to return to their homes inside the troubled Opal Tower (pictured) on Friday – however, many were gobsmacked to learn that they had no running water
‘I went into the apartment and the water wasn’t working,’ resident Andre told ABC News.
He said he had been told by management that it would be turned on by the end of the day.
Andre, who owns a flat on the 28th floor of the building has been living out of his suitcase for more than seven months.
Another resident, who wished not to be named, said he had been told he was allowed to return by management but after he arrived at his home with all of his belongings was told it would be another ‘two week wait’.
‘They’ve been doing this the whole time, promising one thing and then doing another,’ he said.
‘My family and I were preparing to move back in and then we’re told this. I tried to call up the phone line Icon provided but it has been switched off.
Other residents were told it would be another two-week wait after being told by building management that their homes were safe to re-occupy. Pictured: Opal Tower residents waiting around the building’s foyer on Boxing Day last year
‘We’re sick of being in hotels.’
It’s claimed 353 out of 392 apartments in Opal Tower are now ready to be re-occupied with residents from around 169 units beginning to filter back into their homes in the last month.
Daily Mail Australia has contacted Opal Tower builder Icon for comment.
Last year, residents of Opal Tower were evacuated from their homes on Christmas Eve after large cracks were discovered in the building’s foundations – sparking fears it would collapse.
The Opal Tower (pictured) has looked like one giant construction site ever since its residents were forced to flee their homes on Christmas Eve last year
While some were initially let back in, it was later decided that structural engineers would require all residents to find temporary housing for at least 10 days while the cracks were repaired and the tower investigated.
Pictures revealed one unit has had its ceiling and flooring torn away to allow equipment to prop up the concrete slabs separating each floor.
Beds, furniture and clothing were crudely piled near a window.
Following the fallout, owners launched a class-action lawsuit against the State Government’s Sydney Olympic Park Authority, seeking millions in compensation, the ABC reported.
They are claiming breach of warranty, as well as claiming the building was not designed or constructed with ‘due care and skill’.
Though the developer Ecove and the builder Icon, are not the focus of the lawsuit, there is a chance they could be liable through cross-claims.
The tower is now subject to an internal and governmental investigation.
Residents were kicked out of the troubled tower after hearing loud ‘cracking’ sounds which prompted them to notify emergency services
Large cracks found in the foundations of the building late last year (pictured) caused wide-spread panic within the building that the building may crumble