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?

Ironically they put a post up on Wednesday quoting wellbeing Wednesday and how to deal with stress! I have commented on it about the amount of stress they have caused me and our situation, I’m waiting to speak to them tomorrow and if they don’t give me reasonable action immediately I will be going all over social media and the papers!

I can’t believe they have essentially left two 8 month old babies venerable like that!! That’s shocking

Are you both HA tenants? I think your local council will have someone responsible for making sure rented properties in the area are habitable, it’s aimed at rogue landlords, but no water, and water leaking into your property would come under that I think? No idea what they’d be called though. Housing inspector? It wouldn’t matter that you are HA, it’s a rented property within their council area.

Contact your local MP

Contact local press too

For some perspective on this, we own a detached house. When we had a sudden leak with water pouring through a light socket, we turned off our water immediately. Our insurance company had a remediation company at the property in less than an hour. They cleaned up the water, cut away damaged areas, and put fans and heaters all throughout the area to run non-stop for the next several days. We had to move out immediately because the sound was so loud.

the enemy was mold and they were not messing around.

letting something like this linger is just economically foolish.

that’s exactly what I’ve been trying to get across to them, it started as a tiny damp patch and just our kitchen light flooded, I’ve called them multiple times every day since and it’s spread to our whole kitchen ceiling, hallway, both bedrooms bathroom and living room - every single room in our home. They’ll have to go into the walls as I could hear dripping in them, and go into all of our ceilings, this is what I’m going to argue with them and say I need evidence of them doing everything possible to get rid of the risk of mould, there is so much water that’s why I think they somehow will need to rehome us, the time it will take to fix everything properly and the amount they will spend on a hotel/ b&b I can’t see that being the choice for them, but they also have shown they have no care, they most likely will do the quickest job possible and spend as little as they can!

Yes both HA, in the email I’ve sent them I’ve CC’d the local council, MP, environmental health, councillors and the councils repair company, hopefully this won’t be something they can continue to ignore!

It really is shocking! The only reason no further harm has been caused is because my neighbours have kindly turned their water off so no further damage can be done to my belongings and I’ve given them the key to my place to get whatever water they need as well as buying them bottles so they don’t have to keep living from buckets, no effort has been made by the HA at all!!

Go to your local council and ask fit support from environmental health
Also blow up their social media

Your mp is your best bet. Yes they will need to temporarily rehouse you if your flat is not fit for habitation but expect it to be a hotel/room because they don’t have spares, far from ideal, so if they can renovate whilst you’re there it may be preferable

@EppingIsFun is correct.

I work in a local authority housing department and whilst this would never happen to our tenants (we have a team who are available outside all office hours who can arrange alternative accomodation, even if its a hotel, for emergencies like this), the proper route to go down is to make a formal complaint.

You need to go onto their website, search 'complaints' and follow their complaints procedure. They have to follow the Housing Ombudsmans regulations on complaints so they will have published how to complain and have only a certain amount of time to respond. They all have to report their findings to the ombudsman each year in their annual report and if you dont agree with their stage 1 findings you can go to stage 2 and then to the ombudsman.

Please say in your complaint what you want to happen next - ie you expect to be re-housed within 24 hours to somewhere safe whilst the necessary work is done to repair your property, you expect X amount of compensation for the stress & inconvenience etc. Be clear what you are asking for as then they will have to respond to your expectations.

Try to make your complaint clear (bullet points or numbered points makes it easier to read and respond to) and do it asap. You have to be able to email it in so you could do it tonight so they have it when they log on tomorrow.

There is no harm cc'ing in your local councillor & MP too (all their details will be on your local authorities website).

Good luck!

Quote Awaabs law to your HA. They will shit themselves and take action.

Ring your local paper. It’s incredible how exposure can focus minds on a quick solution. Behind the scenes is slow and monotonous. With press involved they’ll be forced to act.

I work for a HA and I was just about to say this! If it’s TGP, pm me and I’ll escalate this for you. It’s really not acceptable and you should have been decanted when this first started as should your neighbour. So sorry this has happened.

I would get out of that building right now and go to a friends or a hotel . I would get in debt to pay for the hotel if needed. It’s not safe.

Go to your MP asap - write/email the HA, copy your MP in. Then contact your MP directly - if you don’t know what to write - use ChatGPT - also contact the council. Even if a private HA - they could lose their licence

Report bit to health and safety at the council

Talk to your MP.

Thank you so much that’s really helpful. The email I sent was just to their customer service one I think where I cc’d lots of others in but I’ve now also sent it on their online complaints form with a clear list of what I want.

Wow thank you I didn’t know about this! Well they’ve already fucked up the first part of that law and left us in extremely dangerous accommodation all weekend!

Thank you I appreciate it so much unfortunately it’s not TGP it’s WTHP

We left as soon as we found out how unsafe it really was! (With no help from the HA of course)

Thank you I’ve written them a huge email with evidence and cc’d in every one possible including MP, councillors, environmental health!

Get on to the press.