8 month old baby’s at serious risk by housing association

[Sammytoby]

I really need some advice on what to do next because this situation has become completely unacceptable.

We’ve had a serious leak from the flat above for days, causing water to pour through our ceilings and flood the lights/electrics in our property. I have been reporting it constantly, but the same plumber kept being sent out despite repeatedly saying it was outside his skill set and reporting this back to the housing association.

On Friday, a senior subcontractor plumber attended and said there was a significant risk of the ceiling collapsing since I first reported on Tuesday and tried to get us emergency rehousing. Nobody called us back.

i live with my partner and 8 month old baby. Hearing that my ceiling has had significant risk of collapsing for days whilst I was begging for help made me feel sick.

By the time this was established, it was out of hours and we were told there was nothing that could be done. I was actually told earlier on Friday after again constantly calling trying to tell them how serious it was and being told I would receive a call back that never came, that there was “absolutely no chance” either family would be rehoused, before the senior plumber had assessed the situation.

they all went home after saying someone would stay on to speak to the senior plumber after his investigation.

We have two 8-month-old babies involved. The family upstairs have now been left without water for the entire weekend because everyone else has gone home, no way to make bottles, shower or even flush their toilet. When pressed for a plan for the weekend we were told upstairs would have their water turned off and they would be given bottled water — which they weren't even provided with. I went out myself and bought them water.

If I didn't have family to fall back on, I would currently have been sat in a flat with my baby all weekend with no electricity, because water was coming through the ceiling and into our lights.
I have photos, videos and evidence of everything, and I have been reporting this repeatedly for days.

They have left this for so long without properly investigating the source that it is now far beyond an isolated repair (started just in our kitchen). Water has come through our ceilings and lights/electrics, and the damage has now spread across every ceiling and the walls. It is a significant amount of damage which will obviously require much more than simply fixing the original leak.

I was told by the subcontractor the property is now going to be uninhabitable for a significant period of time because of the extent of the damage. My concern is that the housing association will simply say it can all be sorted quickly when the reality is that the damage is now extensive and needs properly assessing.
I have photos, videos and records of everything and have been reporting this constantly.

The other plumber who was consistently sent out has tried for 4 days to feedback that it is extremely unsafe but they did not escalate it.

What would you do next? Who should I escalate this to, and what can I actually do if the housing association refuses to acknowledge that the property is no longer reasonably habitable?

Maybe the health visitor and add some weight in to getting you moved to somewhere more safer

Make a formal complaint using your housing association's complaints procedure, and email your MP. Include the photos.

I'm sorry to hear this has happened, it must be incredibly stressful.

That’s shocking. I have no experience or knowledge, but I’d be trying the local authority housing even though it isn’t their property, to raise a safety issue. Also your local councillor.

That said, this kind of thing can happen to any property and can take a while to resolve. What’s your insurance situation? Presumably all the damage so far is to the flat so the responsibility of the landlord’s insurance?

Try your MP

Thank you I have sent them a huge complaint email and ccd in MP, councillors, the lot. I’m just worried they’re going to fob me off like they’ve been doing all week!

I have no advice about getting housing, but have you put all your passports and important document, plus photos, furniture etc somewhere safe. Even in a tupperware or large sandwich bag. Everything will be ruined if/when the ceiling collapses. They'll probably just shovel the debris and your belongings out.

Try your local MP and the Councillor responsible for housing in your area. Ours was excellent when I had a family member with no heating

Thank you I will try the local authority. Building/structural damage is covered by them thankfully so all the damage to ceilings walls and electrics is theirs to resolve. I’ve been living with buckets everywhere and protective sheets to cover my things all week so thankfully not much damage to my belongings

Tell the local newspaper

Yes everything important i have taken with me to my mums and furniture appliances etc that I couldn’t take are covered, really the only thing that can be damaged is the flooring that was affected most when the senior plumber cut holes through my ceiling and a flood of water poured out!

I have said in my complaint email that that will be my next move if they continue to dismiss me and a reasonable solution is not met. I don’t think people will take too well to 2 8 month old baby’s being directly affected!

Thank you I will do!

@Sammytoby Also contact Environmental Health to report what has happened and the lack of support, explaining about your baby.

The reality is with massive housing waiting lists, they have nowhere else to house you. They probably consider those sorts of B&B you'd go to in an emergency as an absolute last resort for a family with kids, so will only do that if your ceiling falls in.

Id stay with your mam if you can

You need to raise a stage 1 complaint with your housing association, that way if they don’t address is you can take it to the housing ombudsman for social housing. They won’t consider your complaint until it has been through the stage 1 and 2 complaint system with the HA.

A stage 1 complaint must be responded to within ten working days and a stage 2 is twenty days. If they don’t reply within the timescale then the ombudsman can become involved.

I work for a Housing Association and this would be deemed totally unacceptable. In situations like this, where you have a young dependent, you should have been decanted.
I would phone the HA tomorrow and demand to speak to the director of property service/asset management. If you don't get anywhere escalate to a stage 2 complaint and then the Housing Ombudsman.

Thank you so much I really appreciate the advice, do you have any advice on what I should say to make them actually do something as I’ve been stressing how serious it is to them all week as well as their own contractors and to no avail. Any further advice would be really appreciated but completely understand if it’s not appropriate to do so.

Hopefully the MP can kick some butts next week. But if that does not move quickly enough, take the pictures and the story to the local media. This is absolutely unacceptable. If nothing else you and the other affected family should be in a hotel this weekend.

The threat of a stage 1 complaint and the ombudsman will probably be enough to motivate them (I also work for a local authority). The ombudsman issues compensation which is based on the loss of use plus factors such as time spent trying to deal with complaint and vulnerability of residents (including small children). They won’t want to go to the ombudsman.

Thank you so much that’s really helpful, I will mention this when speaking to them tomorrow

This is why I hate HAs. My parents ( HA tenants after the council housing transferred to HA ownership) had raw human sewerage flooding their garden for weeks and weeks, actually more like months. Human shit flooding their garden. My Dad went to the local paper and the HA just issued a statement saying that they wouldn’t do anything over Christmas. At least when the housing was council owned the officers had to report to council lord who were elected by the public. So there was that democratic accountability.

HA have more ‘customers’ than they can meet the need of, so there is zero competition in the market and with HA there isn’t even any democratic accountability through councillors.

Social media. If your council has a Facebook/insta whatever account, post it on there with photos, tag local online newspaper too. Sometimes making it known to more people forces people to do the right thing.
Am very sorry, sounds horrible, frustrating and something that I thought landlords of all types had to sort out now.

Me personally / I would empty the flat and put my stuff in storage and bill the housing association!!!

im so sorry to read this @Sammytoby it sounds awful. Thank goodness you have family to help you x

Thank you I’m definitely very lucky to have people I can go to, I would still be sat in a flat with no electric and holes in the ceiling if it wasn’t for them!

I would do this but unfortunately funds just won’t allow it right now, we’ve only been living there a few months and had to buy everything oven, fridge, washing machine furniture and flooring for the whole flat!!

im hoping it will all be contained now water is shut off and nothing further will be damaged but if it is there could possibly be a claim as it was easily avoidable if they’d taken me seriously a week ago!

That’s awful!! I had read reviews before accepting the place that they were not good when it comes to repairs but I was so desperate I couldn’t not take it!