Disabled HA Tenant left with no water supply help

[stu007]

my friend who is a disabled HA tenant has been left with no water supply hot or cold, they state frozen pipes and are only supplying a limited amount of bottled water and not taking into account this person is disabled. Has now been left like this for seven days with no proper washing facilities, no toilet facilities, no hot or cold water only given a limited amount of bottled water but having to complain each time to get this

 

They did contact the water board to be told its not a mains water supply issue but your landlords with the proprties supply as no other properties in your area affected.

 

Please Please any help and advice much appreciated Help

Edited December 26, 2010 by stu007

[NewSAHD]

Hi, is this sorted?

 

Which HA is it / was it? Have a look at their website, if you haven't already, to see how they deal with complaints - although fully appreciate the priority is to get this sorted

 

There was another recent post here that gave details of a HA 'watchdog', have a look for that, if you haven't already

 

PM me the details of the HA too, if you wish, rather than post details on an open forum that could identify you

 

How long has your friend lived there, is there any similar problem in the past?

 

Do they have heating?

 

Is there anyone they can stay with in the meantime?

 

Typed at speed, will come back as soon as can to edit / add to...

[dx100uk]

i'm sure i've read somewhere that if the tenant is registered disabled they HAVE to act within 24hrs

i'll ping someone to pop in and help

 

dx

[NewSAHD]

These two links may help, if you haven't already seen them - although I can't yet find the third link I had in mind :

 

http://www.consumeractiongroup.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?287898-Being-left-with-no-heating-and-no-hot-water-with-two-small-children....-HELP!&p=3235225&viewfull=1#post3235225

 

direct link

 

http://england.shelter.org.uk/get_advice/complaints_and_legal_action/complaints/complaints_about_housing_associations

 

and

 

http://www.consumeractiongroup.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?287617-Help-being-hassled-by-Housing-Association&p=3232496&viewfull=1#post3232496

 

direct link

 

http://www.hda.org.uk/hda/care-advisers.php

 

Don't usually advocate it (although I seem to have done so of late), but may be worth contacting your local MP and/or Environmental Health department at your Local Authority, as appropriate

 

Hope that helps in some way, but is the water / heating (if applicable) now sorted?

[caro]

Hi Stu

 

See you've been back on line but not replied.

 

Has this been sorted? There should be an out of hours emergency number on the HA's website. Get on it and be very firm about this. Don't be rude but make it very clear what is happening with your friend and how difficult this is.

 

Also contact the emergency out of hours number for your local social services, and if none of these get a result, get the doctor involved and see what they can do.

 

Long shot I know, but I don't suppose your friend is insured against this kind of emergency?

 

From personal experience I find you get better results by being nice and reasonable and getting people on side, but don't be fobbed off either.

[caro]

And a complaint to the TSA wouldn't go amiss. Mention that your friend is seriously considering this in any dealings with the HA. It will get their attention. http://www.tenantservicesauthority.org/server/show/nav.14533

[stu007]

Hi all

 

Many thanks for your advice sadly my friend is still no better off and still without a water supply except bottled water.

 

They have checked again with the water board but still same responce its not the water boards mains issue its the landlords supply therefore landlords responsibility.

 

As its xmas all HA offices are closed until 2011 and as the diagnosis at the begining of this was frozen pipe all that happens when you contact the out of hours number is

that their is nothing we can do, do you have enough bottled water, will pass on to duty person.

[NewSAHD]

Not great, sorry to hear this...

 

Which HA is this though? PM me the name and I'll do some digging, if you wish. Whatever you send me will only be used to assist you/your friend and will not be disclosed to any third party without your prior consent

 

I am less familiar with how HA's operate, but there is a poster on CAG who takes a particular interest with HA's - I'll see if I can find out of they're still around

 

What is your friend doing for hot water / washing / cleaning etc?

 

Does your friend have heating?

Edited December 28, 2010 by NewSAHD

[NewSAHD]

Is your friend in Scotland?

 

If so, the legislative/regulatory framework may well be different to that in England/Wales...

[noomill060]

Contact local authority Housing Officer.

 

 

 

I am also without water due to house pipes freezing up on 6 December - and as a result of my open coal fire having a backboiler, I I havnt ben able to light it and warm the house to unfreeze the pipes!

 

Im a private tenant and will take great delight in legally torturing Rigsby, my ****** landlord in due course.

 

Moved into mums house while this gets sorted.

[NewSAHD]

Contact local authority Housing Officer.

I am also without water due to house pipes freezing up on 6 December - and as a result of my open coal fire having a backboiler, I I havnt ben able to light it and warm the house to unfreeze the pipes!

Im a private tenant and will take great delight in legally torturing Rigsby, my ****** landlord in due course.

Moved into mums house while this gets sorted.

 

Has Rigsby been notified in writing of your problems and what has his/her response been so far? With close to 7000 posts to your name I'm guessing you've already covered this aspect of it though ...

[noomill060]

Yes, Rigsby is aware. He sent a plumber who promptly fixed the burst, but as soon as water tank refilled it started leaking again!.

 

Chimney is blocked, Rigsby duely dispatched sweep whi announced that it hasnt been swept for so long, he isnt able to clear it from inside and will have to do it from the top of chimney!

 

Clearly no chance of anyone getting up there in the snow and ice anytime soon and sweep promptly went on his hols! (Presumably with Sooty)

 

7000 or so posts most of them helping out with bank and credit card charges. Need a bit of help educating Rigsby.

 

Will start my own thread to avoid hijacking this one.

[NewSAHD]

"Need a bit of help educating Rigsby.

Will start my own thread to avoid hijacking this one."

 

There's some issues where there's a strict liability on the part of the Rigsby (sorry, Landlord) and others where liability only really starts once the Landlord has been notified. Go for a new thread though, it seems there's several posters on this particular CAG forum that always help out where/when they can ...

[stu007]

Hi All

 

Your help is much appreciated just a small update

 

Have just checked his HA handbook and according to the Right to Repair his HA had 24hrs to complete repair.

 

He did report this repair over a week ago to which they sent out a plumber who in 2 minutes flat diagnosed frozen pipes by doing what the tenant done by turning on the taps only which i witnessed and was a bit surprised as to how he reached this conclusion by only turning taps on but hey there the professionals.

 

Because of this diagnosis the HA response is that the pipes need to defrost so there is nothing they can do until then so they are supplying limited amounts of bottled water.

 

Where does he now stand can the HA say for example well we followed the right to repair as our contractor was out within the agreed 24hr period so we followed the rules and cant complete repair until pipes have thawed. I only ask this as i think this is the sort of stance they would take.

 

Thanks again everyone

[caro]

I would think that your friend would be entitled to compensation. Could be worth checking the tenancy agreement too.

 

Does it definitely say COMPLETE the repair within 24 hours?

[NewSAHD]

I'm a little bemused as to how the HA and the contractor could, on the face of it, have thought it reasonable to leave matters like this...

 

I need to finish for the night, but something seems awry with your friends circumstances. It's been some years since I've had to deal with frozen pipes, so I won't pretend to be an expert by any stretch of the imagination, but a quick google flags up lots of (seemingly) useful links, such as

 

http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-safe-way-to-thaw-frozen-pipes.htm

http://www.essortment.com/home/thawfrozenwate_sbwg.htm

http://www.acmehowto.com/howto/homemaintenance/plumbing/general/frozenpipes.php

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20101223022222AABNfDR

 

etc etc

 

Hope OK to post these links here and, at the very least, they'll be in your email inbox shortly anyway!

 

Reason for mentioning all this?

 

The contractor, on the face of it, appears to have made the most cursory of inspections and also appears to have made no substantive effort to resolve this (what WAS his call out charge for stating the obvious too?!) - and the HA do not appear to have questionned matters here... is bottled water really the only solution, bearing in mind the contents of the links provided?

 

Yes, it's clear things are difficult, what with the winter weather and the Christmas break too, but I'm betting the HA/contractor would not accept this state of affairs in their own homes - so why should your friend?

 

Best of luck and really hope this gets sorted soon now too

[NewSAHD]

PS Tired, nearly forgot, has anyone mentioned switching the water off and/or beware of burst/split pipes too etc?

[stu007]

Thanks newSADH

 

Nop they have not been advised of any of that but i still find the diagnosis by the plumber strange from only turning on the taps especially since theres is also

the only property affected by the loss of water supply.

 

They know themselves that if it was frozen pipes to be wary incase of burst pipes when they thaw.

 

Thanks again

[stu007]

Hi CAG

 

Just a quick Update well was shocked when my disabled friend told me they "WON"

 

and to Thank Everyone at the CAG as if it wasnt for your advice they probably would not have won and to keep up the good work.

[caro]

Pleased things got sorted. Did your friend get compensation?

[stu007]

Hi caro

 

Yes they got a full apology, compensation and asked if they would like be in a forum which they want to setup for people in there circumstances to have a say and help improve services.

[caro]

Excellent news!

[stu007]

Hi caro

 

What he said helped so much was CAGs advice as when he started looking into it he started by checking CAGs advice then his Tenancy Agreement which has a repairs section

 

noticing Housing Act references and following these which to them to Tolerable Standards Act, Right to Repair Act

 

Then on breaking down the information further they noticed that the above information was contradicting all the housings information and documentation to tenants. Also the housing was quoting paragraphs from Acts but not the full paragraph as if they put the full paragraph it was there in black and white.

[caro]

That's what CAG's all about. Empowering people to stand up for their rights. Well done to you both.

 

Is your friend planning on accepting the invitation to the forum that deals with such matters?

[NewSAHD]

Not been on CAG for a little while, but really pleased to return to hear your news!

 

When I read that your friend was "...asked if they would like be in a forum which they want to setup for people in there circumstances to have a say and help improve services." I had to chuckle too...

 

Especially as I also then read that your friend "noticed that the above information was contradicting all the housings information and documentation to tenants. Also the housing was quoting paragraphs from Acts but not the full paragraph as if they put the full paragraph it was there in black and white."

 

caro is dead right, CAG certainly seems to help "Empower... people to stand up for their rights"

 

Be interested to hear when your friend accepts that invitation too It was not right that they had to put up with what they did and neither should anyone else

 

Does all beg quite a few other questions though, such as who had responsibility for the HA approach to repairs / publications too in the first case...?

 

But that's a whole other can of worms and for now just pleased to hear how it all seems to have turned out for the best!