The ceiling collapse was caused by a leak from solar panels
A woman who was told her Co Down home was safe to live in was left in a nightmare situation when the roof caved in last week. Julie Hanna has lived at the property in the Ardilea Close area of Downpatrick for the past ten years.
Last Wednesday, April 29, she was out of the property when her daughter heard a dripping noise found to be coming from the attic door. Calling Julie to inform her about the leak, she then placed a jug underneath, with the water flow increasing very quickly.
Whenever Julie returned home around 15 minutes later, she said water began coming in through the living room ceiling downstairs, drenching the floor and damaging furniture.
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Speaking to Belfast Live, Julie said: “My daughter heard a dripping noise and when she went upstairs to investigate it, she saw the drips were coming from my attic door, so she put a jug under it. Within ten minutes, she said it was flooding through the hatch.
“Within around 15 minutes I got home, and by then the water was coming into the living room. When it hit the landing and came through whatever cracks there were, through the carpet and has travelled aong and went down into the living room. My living room floor was drenched and furniture has been damaged.
“The plumbers came back out to fix the leak or see where it was coming from, and when they turned the water back on it made the water come through the ceiling in the living room again.”
A contractor for Clanmil Housing Association attended the property the following day, isolating the property’s solar panels, with the mains water supply temporarily switched off, with both this and the electricity being reinstated later that day.
An electrical contractor also carried out checks on April 30 and May 1, with dehumidifers provided at the property to assist with drying. Julie said she had been told the property was safe to live in, as both the water and electricity had been reinstated, and to keep an eye on the leak.
However, she did not feel comfortable living in the damp property, and stayed with family. On Friday night, May 1, the ceiling upstairs caved in.
“They said it was suitable to live in but on Friday night, the roof caved in. If I stayed there like they suggested, it could have fallen on me while I was walking up the stairs,” Julie added.
“My grandkids come up to see me and it could have fallen on them. I’ve been staying here, there, and everywhere for the past week. It has been a nightmare.”
Clanmil Housing Association said they attended the property on May 5 to help with clearing up after the ceiling damage and to arrange repairs, with the work expected to be completed as soon as possible.
Local SDLP councillor, Conor Galbraith, has been assisting the family after the ceiling collapse caused by a leak from solar panels. He is calling on the housing association to take preventative action.
Councillor Galbraith said: “The family impacted have been warning Clanmil for some time about leaking coming from the property’s solar panels and a significant smell of damp. Their pleas for repairs were ignored and they arrived home at the weekend to find their ceiling had collapsed and a significant portion of their furniture had been ruined.
“This family was left with no support over the weekend, no alternative accommodation was provided and they were basically left homeless. Work is now ongoing to make the house habitable again, but Clanmil are pursuing a sticking plaster approach that will not address the underlying issues that caused this collapse.
“There are other properties in this area that are experiencing similar issues with solar panels and unless the housing association changes their approach to routine repairs we will see similar incidents in future. Everyone has a right to feel safe and secure in their home and I would urge Clanmill to listen to their tenants and take preventative action and carry out routine repairs before another family has to go through such an ordeal.”
A spokesperson for Clanmil 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.
“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.
“Our housing and property teams visited the customer on Tuesday 5 May to assist with clearing up following some ceiling damage and to arrange all necessary repairs. 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.
“Our records show that a number of other repairs identified by customers have now been completed, although we acknowledge that some repairs have taken longer than expected to carry out.
“To ensure any outstanding issues are resolved as quickly as possible, and that customers are clear about their responsibilities, we will visit all customers over the next week and offer a maintenance clinic with their Maintenance Officer. Our in-house maintenance team will also be in attendance to carry out on-the-spot repairs where possible.”
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