A RESIDENT from Downpatrick has said she feels “lost” after the ceiling in her home fell in. Julie Hanna has been living in the Ardilea Close area of the town for ten years. Her house is administered by Clanmil Housing Association. She said she has experienced issues with the house throughout that time, but she suffered the worst series of problems in the last few weeks.
On Wednesday, 29 April, she said a ‘flood’ occurred in her roof space due to broken thermal heating pipes. She moved out, and two days later the ceiling fell in. “I feel lost,” Julie told the Mourne Observer this week. “I have been here, there and everywhere, sleeping on floors.”
The thermal panels (sometimes referred to as solar panels) are tubing that is heated by the sun and warms the water in the home. Julie adds that this is not the first time she has encountered problems. She says that she has 31 open repair cases with Clanmil. In her ten years of living in the property, she says only one repair case has been adequately dealt with, which was when her windows were repaired five years ago. Three years ago, her toilets stopped working, and she said she had to wait six months for it to be repaired.
The most recent issue has forced her and her family to live elsewhere, but her options are few. Clanmil Housing Association provides general needs homes and supported and sheltered accommodation at locations across Northern Ireland.
The Mourne Observer contacted Clanmil to ask for a response. The housing association said: “We can confirm that a customer first reported a leak at their property to us on 29 April 2026. Our contractor attended the same day to assess the situation, and the issue was quickly traced to the solar panel system (the thermal panels). A specialist contractor attended the following day, 30 April, to isolate the solar panels within the home.
“As a precaution, the mains water supply was temporarily switched off. Both water and electricity were safely reinstated later that day. We apologise for any inconvenience caused during this time while we carried out necessary repairs. Disruption to utilities was for the minimum time possible to allow the repairs to be carried out. Our electrical contractor also carried out checks on 30 April and returned on 1 May to ensure everything remained safe and fully operational. Dehumidifiers were provided at the property to assist with drying.”
The housing association said that their housing and property team visited Julie earlier this week to assist with the cleanup. “We intend to complete the remaining work to the ceiling in the property as soon as possible, and our contractors are currently on site working on this. Other than the repairs that are currently being completed as a result of this leak, there are no other outstanding repairs at this property that have been reported to us.”
Read the full article in the current issue as Julie explains what her next steps are.
