Housing association... At a loss :(

[highhopes19]

Hi I'm looking for some advice I'm a moat housing customer in the southeast, I have 2 bedroom flat first floor with a Nibe 260 or 200.... Since may last year we've put on just over a £1000 in electric!

The day we moved in my neighbour said to me how expensive it had been but I didn't think much of it to be honest..... By November to December 2013 we we're putting on anywhere between 50-70 a week.

I first reported in November and was told it's the not the HA problem as they don't deal with utility's as they are the tenants responsibility and that I needed to get on to my energery provider which I did they came out changed my tarif and my meter thinking this would help... It didn't bills remained the same.

Back again on the phone to moat housing to be told they are aware of the problems since then! Despite my neighbour also having the same problems being dealt with.

Despite this we were still paying full rent of £107 a week aswell as the electric it became impossible and it ate away at all our savings we had to take credit cards to get by

On the 23rd December moat provided me with £280..... £200 I put on the electric and £80 I had to use for food shopping as already that week prior we had put on £65 and had had nothing for dinners I the house as I spent it on electric. That money run out in January.

February we phoned moat and spoke to the executive director as he was on call and the only one available he said until he's spoken to the people dealing with it gave us permission to use part of our rent money to use on the electric which we did....

The week later we get a letter saying we're in rent arrears! Again we keep paying our rent plus electric like we were advised!

2 weeks later the defects teams phoned and said that they were transferring £300 to my account to cover electric and any other short comings we've had because of this problem. So I paid £200 electric and the rest paid the arrears.


They are now saying they are providing us with no more financial help and are making up utter crap that we've only been putting on £45 a month once you take away the £580 they've given.

Our rent is now £120 in arrears were still paying rent and now having to pay for the electric at £50-£60 a week at the moment and they think this is fare! I don't know where to turn next I have severe medicated depression and I'm well truly at rock bottom this whole thing had affected my whole family and my 2 year old daughter is picking up on it my relationship is at breaking point with my partner we can't carry on :'(

They've mentioned dropping ceilings, moving us, adding radiators but nothing has materialized

Also to add we've had southern electric come out to test all my appliances and the fault lies with the boiler system that's been installed.

Also this property was built claiming to be the first of its kind in the south east as code for level sustainable housing.... Apparently we're meant to enjoy low running costs, warmer homes .... How can they claim this when we're paying over the average by such a huge amount. Nibe told me I should be paying around £545 a year with this system but because my housing association have installed the wrong one were suffering in a big way!

Whilst they are rehousing us I asked if I could live with my dad instead of here and they said no I'll be making myself homeless

Biggest kick in the teeth and insult was today being told would I like someone to come round from welfare and teach me how to budget my money.....wtf!!!!! I'm blooming good at budgeting my money before all this started we could save £200 a month for emergency now all that's gone on electric and we are in the minus nearly every month! I don't need help budgeting I need this boiler gone ! Then we'll be just fine

 

[Yo_Yo]

Oh lovely, that's awful!
The housing association have duty of care to you-why won't they do anything?!
I'd be so tempted to smash the boiler in so they had to replace it!

If the boiler is faulty, can't they get an engineer out to look at it?

How about going to the press? I'm
Sure they'd be interested in 'first of its kind' sustainable housing heating bills causing financial hardship. It would soon get their arses into gear any bad publicity! Well it's worth a go?

 

[smileyfaces]

Argh sounds like a nightmare. If you have spent 1000 pounds and they have refunded 580 of that then that would be about right for your total costs to date but obviously they need to be subsidising you week by week as you are still having to fork out at present for their mistakes. Can you not contact the executive director again somehow? So shitty

 

[QueenMummyToBe]

How awful!!
I know it would be a faff but could you go without
using the boiler until they sort the issue out?
I would ring them every day and pester them, demand
to speak to the highest person in charge that knows about
your situation and do it everyday.

Also if you tell them you are going to go to the press
as they have known about the situation since december
they haven't done anything about it.. they are acting
like it ia your fault when it isn't. They will definitely
sort themselves out quicker.

There is also a website called home swapper
you could register for and find homes in your
area.

 

[MrsBop]

How awful!!
I know it would be a faff but could you go without
using the boiler until they sort the issue out?

I was going to suggest this, maybe only have the boiler on to have showers and at all other times turn it off? Unless you have an immersion heater (I doubt you will if it's a fairly new property) we lived without a boiler for 9 months (long story) have they said how long it'll take to rehouse you?

 

[R_x]

Hope it gets sorted soon. Why won't they change the boiler? X

 

[lhancock90]

Can you speak to CAB? It sounds awful lovely

 

[KrissyC]

First off, don't take a bat to the boiler, you will get a bill from them and damaging it will most.likely be a breach of your tenancy.

I am a housing officer in a housing association and I find the best way to get an answer is to write in to them. The director you spoke to may mot have took note of your conversation or told those who manage your rent account.

Sometimes it can also help to speak to a local MLA, CA or housing rights service.

Good luck.

 

[summer rain]

I have other, ongoing issues with my HA, so I sympathise. Although it didn't resolve everything going to local councillors and threatening to go to local press spurred them into action in our case. Also seeking specialist advice. You could write a formal complaint, and if you don't get the response you're looking for, escalate it, and then you can complain to the ombudsman if escalating it doesn't resolve things. On their website they should have details of the process. Hopefully you get to move to somewhere way better though, because in my experience a bad housing association are never going to change their ways or admit they were wrong. My housing assoc, the neighbourhood manager doesn't even seem to know what day it is, I have written her various letters asking for details on my tenancy agreement to be updated and she has ignored them all, she ignores all phone calls too and emails. Also when the lift in our block was broken for months she was uncontactable and she sent one letter to residents in all that time, with no real information about the reason for the lift being out of service or what would be done. I've formally complained about her several times before as have other residents and nothing has been done about her. Also been harassed by the income/rent officer and I can prove it but they refuse to assign me a different one saying it isn't 'allowed', I have sought advice and there is no reason why they shouldn't give me a different income officer xx

 

[smileyfaces]

I have other, ongoing issues with my HA, so I sympathise. Although it didn't resolve everything going to local councillors and threatening to go to local press spurred them into action in our case. Also seeking specialist advice. You could write a formal complaint, and if you don't get the response you're looking for, escalate it, and then you can complain to the ombudsman if escalating it doesn't resolve things. On their website they should have details of the process. Hopefully you get to move to somewhere way better though, because in my experience a bad housing association are never going to change their ways or admit they were wrong. My housing assoc, the neighbourhood manager doesn't even seem to know what day it is, I have written her various letters asking for details on my tenancy agreement to be updated and she has ignored them all, she ignores all phone calls too and emails. Also when the lift in our block was broken for months she was uncontactable and she sent one letter to residents in all that time, with no real information about the reason for the lift being out of service or what would be done. I've formally complained about her several times before as have other residents and nothing has been done about her. Also been harassed by the income/rent officer and I can prove it but they refuse to assign me a different one saying it isn't 'allowed', I have sought advice and there is no reason why they shouldn't give me a different income officer xx

xx

 

[highhopes19]

Argh sounds like a nightmare. If you have spent 1000 pounds and they have refunded 580 of that then that would be about right for your total costs to date but obviously they need to be subsidising you week by week as you are still having to fork out at present for their mistakes. Can you not contact the executive director again somehow? So shitty

The £580 wasn't refunded to me though they gave me. £280 on the 23rd not as a refund but to put on the electric because it was close to Xmas and no one was available to help as everyone that could of helped had broken up for Xmas... £200 went straight on the electric and £80 we had no choice but to get food shopping out of it as that week already despite being at work all week we had used £60 :'( and had no money for food over Xmas.

Between the September when I first made them aware and they didn't do nothing we had to take out credit card and loan to live all our savings have been spent on electric to present day

Between January when the first £200 run out to the beginning of feb they refused to help financially with it, so when we spoke to the executive director he said to use part of our rent money every week till the problem was sorted and put some on electric and some to pay rent.

On the 4th of feb we were contacted by the head of defects to ask my bank details to transfer £300 over £200 went on the electric and the other £100 had to be used they said to clear the rent arrears we had apparently racked up despite being told to do this

That probably made no sense sorry lol... But what I mean in short is the £580 they gave me was to cover my electric between December and February now it's been used their not helping any more we have to some how pay full rent and pay £70 a week in electric wih other bills until we move... They said just send them copies of receipts but we can't afford to do it in the first place.

I don't know where to turn as now we still have rent arrears of £130 and meant to be being transferred next month to a different property got a horrid feeling they won't let us

I'm fed up of waiting all day next to a phone for them to phone me back and they never do it's taken over my life xxx

 

[R_x]

Do you have the boiler on often? Only thing I can suggest is trying to stay out most the day. Hope it's sorted soon xx

 

[highhopes19]

Do you have the boiler on often? Only thing I can suggest is trying to stay out most the day. Hope it's sorted soon xx

It doesn't switch off Hun . It's just a great big glorified extractor fan it stays on constantly sucking air out the room and recycling it into heat and water. In theory it's a fab idea if it actually worked but homes in this country don't generate enough so because of this the Emerson (sp) auto kicks in, we're out most of the week were either at work or were at my mums and dads.

Thankyou Hun xx

 

[special_kala]

Surely you have to be able to turn it off, it would be dangerous if there were a fault otherwise.

 

[highhopes19]

Surely you have to be able to turn it off, it would be dangerous if there were a fault otherwise.

Nope doesn't turn off it's quite a new system, I asked if I could turn it off and Nibe told me no it's a health and safety risk and would leak carbon monoxide if switched off.

I have looked for a switch was gonna turn it off before I contacted them to save some money but at a loss

The only buttons on the whole system are spring and summer mode, autumn and winter mode or Emerson constant x

 

[R_x]

What would happen if you put it on summer mode? Would that make it any cheaper? Xx

 

[hel_5]

Surely you have to be able to turn it off, it would be dangerous if there were a fault otherwise.

Nope doesn't turn off it's quite a new system, I asked if I could turn it off and Nibe told me no it's a health and safety risk and would leak carbon monoxide if switched off.

I have looked for a switch was gonna turn it off before I contacted them to save some money but at a loss

The only buttons on the whole system are spring and summer mode, autumn and winter mode or Emerson constant x

It has to turn off, what if there was a power cut? Surely it would be a major health and safety risk to make something that leaks carbon monoxide if turned off!

 

[R_x]

Surely you have to be able to turn it off, it would be dangerous if there were a fault otherwise.

Nope doesn't turn off it's quite a new system, I asked if I could turn it off and Nibe told me no it's a health and safety risk and would leak carbon monoxide if switched off.

I have looked for a switch was gonna turn it off before I contacted them to save some money but at a loss

The only buttons on the whole system are spring and summer mode, autumn and winter mode or Emerson constant x

It has to turn off, what if there was a power cut? Surely it would be a major health and safety risk to make something that leaks carbon monoxide if turned off!

Was just thinking this. Should be able to turn it off at the fuse box (not unless it's safe though) xx

 

[highhopes19]

Surely you have to be able to turn it off, it would be dangerous if there were a fault otherwise.

Nope doesn't turn off it's quite a new system, I asked if I could turn it off and Nibe told me no it's a health and safety risk and would leak carbon monoxide if switched off.

I have looked for a switch was gonna turn it off before I contacted them to save some money but at a loss

The only buttons on the whole system are spring and summer mode, autumn and winter mode or Emerson constant x

It has to turn off, what if there was a power cut? Surely it would be a major health and safety risk to make something that leaks carbon monoxide if turned off!

Was just thinking this. Should be able to turn it off at the fuse box (not unless it's safe though) xx

If it does I have no idea how, not even there heatig engineers know how it works which is just brilliant!

All residents have no choice but to have the boiler on 24/7 which is another one of the major faults with it x

 

[highhopes19]

The main reason they don't switch off and need to be on 24/7 is because they were first made for homes in Sweden where there is a need for this sort of system and there is enough air to generate them constantly British homes don't do this Therefore when they are on they don't generate enough power so the Emerson heater kicks in which costs so much. Every other housing association are ripping the systems out and replacing them except mine.... All other housing associations have realised he h&s risk all except mine