The issues with the lift have meant that Natasha, who has to rely on her partner to carry her up and down the stairs when he’s around, has been unable to go into the office for work and has had to cancel numerous physiotherapy appointments. 

“That’s made my condition worse, because I needed to do physio to improve my physical health,” she says.

“I am also supposed to go into the office and I can’t while the lift is broken, and although my employer has been really good, I still worry about that aspect of it, and how this might impact my performance reviews and personal development.

“You need to go into the office to be a valuable team member, and to be successful, so it’s worrying.” 

Natasha, who has experienced periods of depression, anxiety and suicidal ideation in the past, says these feelings have been exacerbated by her living situation.

“When accessibility issues arise, it tends to bring out a lot of internalised ableism, which many disabled people tend to feel in these situations,” she says.

“When I do encounter these types of issues, I kind of just try my hardest to shrug it off, but you can’t shrug off being unable to leave your property independently for months. 

“I just feel like RMG pressed pause on my life.”

Sadly, Kacey Chambers, an independent leasehold advisor, explains that property management firms are currently under no obligation to provide residents with alternative accommodation in this event.

“What the property manager could have done, if they were aware, would have been to write to the other residents to ask them to assist the wheelchair user with travelling, whilst the lift was out of use,” she says . “They aren't obliged to do this though.

“It does go to show that there is an issue within the property sector in terms of accessibility, which does need highlighting.”

In an attempt to find a solution, Natasha contacted her local MP, Sir Graham Brady, the Conservative MP for Altrincham and Sale West. 

Although Brady did respond to one of Natasha’s emails at the beginning of March, stating that he hoped his correspondence with RMG would help with the situation, he has since failed to respond to any of her subsequent emails.

“I'm really disappointed as a constituent to basically receive no help whatsoever from an MP that's supposed to represent our community,” says Natasha.

“I think it's outrageous.”

She has also considered writing to Mayor Andy Burnham and her local Labour councillors, but feels as though it would be futile.

“It really does feel like a situation where nobody wants to help,” she continues.

“Maybe that’s because it's a systematic issue, and there are so many other disabled people that will be in similar situations, so I don’t really know what they could do to improve it.

“It feels very hopeless.” 

Brady did not respond to The Altrincham & Sale Lead’s request for comment. 

When Natasha contacted Shona Gilbert, now leader of Trafford Council, last year, she was advised to move to a ground floor flat. 

However, with the rental market in disarray, this is easier said than done. 

“We did look for a ground floor flat, but it was just extremely difficult to come by, because I'm sure you can imagine the rental sector is a nightmare and conditions are always varied.”

When Natasha  and her partner did manage to find ground floor flats, they were inaccessible in other ways, such as having tight spaces making it difficult to manoeuvre a wheelchair, no wide-bay parking spaces, or no wheelchair ramps.

Natasha also says she has experienced discrimination when looking for rental properties.

“We did identify a nice flat in Sale, but when I tried to ask for a reasonable adjustment, the landlord basically withdrew the offer,” she says.

“I obviously couldn’t prove that it was due to discrimination, but it felt like it was intrinsically linked.”

The Altrincham & Sale Lead contacted Gilbert, who said: “I can confirm I helped Natasha with this issue and I’m very sorry to hear it has continued.

“I understand there are challenges with the supply chain for parts to fix lifts, so there are regular issues like this.

“However, this is not excusable and cannot be accepted long term.  It is also no excuse for poor service and residents deserve daily updates as a minimum.

“I think there needs to be improved regulation of landlords and faster complaint and escalation routes for important issues like this.”

RMG has become infamous for its inability to deal with maintenance issues. A Facebook group called Residential Management Group rip off people's pockets has 5,700 members at the time of writing (up by more than 1,000 in a year).

Last year, The Lead reported on a group of leaseholders in Urmston who were being charged large and often unexplained maintenance fees despite none of the issues in their communal spaces – which included leaks, caved-in roofs, black mould and security issues – getting fixed.

A spokesperson for RMG said:  “We totally sympathise with the residents at Maple Court who have experienced the lift being out of action for three weeks in total.

“The delay was due to awaiting parts which were required to get the lift operational, but we kept all leaseholders updated throughout this period.

“It is now fully functioning and we can reassure the residents that the lift is regularly serviced and inspected by a qualified engineer.”

By Natalie Morris

Altrincham Girls Grammar [AGGS] is one of the best schools in the country and competition for places is fierce. At just ten and eleven years old, prospective students have to pass the 11+ and a rigorous entrance exam - but there are many more hoops that families have to jump through to keep themselves in the running, and the strain can be immense. 

As an AGGS alumni myself I remember how stressful it was - and, looking back, the inequalities that this intense application process fosters, only become more apparent. 

Of the 1,482 students who sat the entrance exam in September 2022, just 382 passed. An even smaller number - 211 - were offered a place at the prestigious school. Only nine girls who lived beyond the narrow catchment area (an eight-mile radius from the school grounds) were offered a place. That is a lot of rejection letters. A lot of disappointed little girls.