News

Tenant resorts to garden hose after waiting weeks for shower repair

16 Aug 2026 5 minute read

Rafal Golaszewski with the hose he used to wash himself on his seventh floor balcony at Griffith John Street, Swansea. Image: Richard Youle

Richard Youle, Local Democracy Reporter

A council house tenant used a garden hose on the balcony of his seventh floor flat in south Wales to wash himself because it was taking so long to fix his shower.

Rafal Golaszewski said it took two weeks to get the walk-in shower working after a pump which drains it broke down, leaving a pool of water on the bathroom floor.

On some days the 33-year-old said he drove from Griffith John Street in Dyfatty, Swansea where he lives to use his parents’ shower in Blaenymaes.

As time went on he said he rigged up a hose to his hot water tap in his flat and had a wash on the balcony despite the lack of privacy.

“I was feeling embarrassed and didn’t want to leave my property,” he said. “It was frustrating and upsetting. I was sick and tired of asking people to use their shower.”

Mr Golaszewski contacted the council about the issue and said a contractor came out on July 31 who was “really nice” but who couldn’t deal with the faulty pump as he specialised in drains.

Mr Golaszewski said the pump was then fixed but the shower itself needed replacing as it had stopped working.

He said a contractor was booked in for August 4 and that he was at home all day, apart from when he walked his dog near the entrance to the block, and that he wasn’t aware of anyone coming.

He said the council put in a new shower on the morning of August 10 but that there was an electrical fault which caused fuses in the property to trip. Mr Golaszewski said an electrician came that afternoon while he was at the dentists’ – an appointment he said he’d told the council about previously.

He said an electrician visited the following day – August 11 – but hadn’t been allocated the shower job and focused on the flat’s smoke alarm. On August 12 he said the electrical work was finally done and he was able to have a shower.

Emails shared with the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) show reports being made to the council and the council replying promptly – one of them saying a plumber had been sent one night but couldn’t get access.

Mr Golaszewski asked for an immediate repair in an email on August 11 as he was using the garden hose on the balcony. “If not possible in whose house can I shower tonight?” it said.

He felt the issue should have been sorted out much quicker.

Mr Golaszewski moved into the two-bedroom flat, which he shares with his dog, in March 2023. He claimed it took nearly a year to replace what he described as temporary entrance doors to the property, and that the following year he replaced the kitchen cupboards and floor himself because of damp. He requested a housing transfer in 2024.

Flats at Griffith John Street, Swansea. Image: Richard Youle

Mr Golaszewski claimed a leak from a flat above last December, which damaged his electrics, took over a month to resolve and caused all the fish in his two fish tanks to die.

He also claimed the lift to the odd-numbered floors in the block like his had been out of action for more than half the time he’d been living there, that anti-social behaviour was an issue and that he didn’t feel safe.

Earlier this year Mr Golaszewski spoke to representatives of a legal firm who he said where knocking on doors at Griffith John Street including his flat. “I thought they were Jehovah’s Witnesses at first,” he said.

He said he then thought they were legal representatives on behalf of the council and engaged their services. A compensation claim alleging damp disrepair issues has been submitted to the authority.

The council, speaking before the shower problem was finally resolved, said its housing teams were continuing to work with Mr Golaszewki to address outstanding repair requests.

A spokesman said: “This follows a number of recent attempts to access the property where our maintenance teams were unable to carry out repairs due to the tenant not being at home.

“Griffith John Street flats are part of a significant investment for council homes in the Dyfatty area. We have committed £40 million in the recent budget to improve a large number of flats including Griffith John Street and Croft Street.”

He added: “The council takes the safety of its tenants seriously and is committed to working with local police and other partners to deal with issues such as anti-social behaviour. Our neighbourhood support unit operates a 24-hour response service throughout the year and enables tenants to report anti-social behaviour at any time.”

There are separate plans to help reinvigorate Dyfatty and neighouring areas with £20 million of UK Government Pride in Place funding. The community-driven project, called North Gate Swansea, will focus on Dyfatty, Hafod, upper High Street, Brynmelyn, Waun Wen and North Hill over 10 years.

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