The story behind Building Trust — the short story
Adam Street’s account, narrated by Laura, an AI British female voice.
Published 10 October 2026.

The story behind Building Trust. Told from the perspective of its founder, Adam Street.

We knocked down the building we lived in.

We'd borrowed six million pounds to rebuild it. The plan was to give the neighbours better homes, with extra flats to help pay for them. These were people I knew. People who'd put their trust in us.

And we did it. We built our homes.

Then the roof failed.

Putting it right was a project of roughly six hundred thousand pounds, across sixteen homes. The leaseholders' shares ranged from four point one to twelve point six per cent. On that project size, that meant roughly twenty-four thousand six hundred pounds to seventy-five thousand six hundred pounds per share, before insurance.

For me, it felt like personal financial Armageddon.

We had a ten-year structural warranty. But the insurer wouldn't pay.

I lived in that building. I still hold three leases there. So the worry about the damage, the money, and what happened next was mine too.

I wanted somebody to sort it out. I was the person responsible for sorting it out.

I was a director of the freehold company, and I was doing the day-to-day work a managing agent would recognise. Chasing the insurer. Gathering reports. Answering the neighbours' questions while trying to get answers myself.

Some leaseholders were insured. Others weren't. We all needed the same roof fixed, but the financial consequences were very different. I had to work through that with them, follow the lease, and keep the company's decisions and finances in order.

It was one of the most stressful things I've ever done.

I started using generative AI to help organise the evidence and challenge the refusal. We had surveys and a King's Counsel's opinion. AI helped me work through that material and prepare responses. The evidence still had to stand up.

Eventually, the repair claim was settled for about five hundred and seventy-six thousand pounds. Then came the consultation, the contractors, and the work itself. With the contractor, the roofing consultant and my fellow directors, we delivered additional scope and came in under budget.

But alongside that, a leaseholder disputed their contribution. We used generative AI to interpret the lease. We thought we'd got it right.

We hadn't. Their solicitor spotted the mistake.

That stayed with me. The answer had sounded convincing. We'd relied on a reading of the lease that was wrong.

That's what led to Lease IQ.

If you're asking why you've been charged, you should be able to see the lease wording behind the answer. Open the original page. Check the relevant legislation. Ask a follow-up question. And understand what still needs professional advice.

If you're the person answering, you need that same evidence in front of you.

I've been on both sides of that conversation. I still am.

We built our homes together. Now I want to make looking after them easier, for the people who live in them and the people responsible for them.