Council tennant - left without bathing facilities

Amanda4242

Hi

I am having a new bathroom and kitchen refit in my council property and when I was given the preliminary meeting I was told I would be left with a kitchen sink, socket in kitchen and the only thing they would take out in bathroom until necessary would be the sink.

On day one they took out everything except the kitchen sink and toilet. They have given me an estimate of 6-12 weeks until completion.

They also did not tell me they would be leaving me with no radiators as these had to be ripped off wall. I have a life threatening heart condition and as such have to have the temperature at a constant heat, but am unable to do this as I haven't been given any temporary heating.

My question is do I have a case to get these improvements rushed along? They have not done anything more except rip everything out and it is now day 6!

agrinnall

Speak to your Councillor. I would think you have a reasonable case for being temporarily rehoused.

pmlindyloo

This is one council's description of what happens during a bathroom/kitchen refit.

https://www.lbbd.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Kitchen-and-Bathroom-Upgrades-A-Guide-For-Residents.pdf

Since you have been left with water and electricity then I do not think you would be rehoused temporarily.

Your council should have left you with contact numbers in case of problems.

I would give them a call and see if they can help with your queries.

Free standing electric heaters should provide the warmth you need.

Guest101

6-12 weeks?!

1-3 days would be reasonable. not 1-3 months!

If a private landlord did this it would be, well criminal to be honest. Dont see why Council should be any different on that part.

maninthestreet

Is the council aware of your medical condition?

[Deleted User]

I had a bathroom and kitchen refit under the Decent Homes scheme. It took three weeks from start to finish. Hopefully the 6-12 weeks is a 'if everything goes wrong' thing.

But I'd be going to your Housing Office as not having access to a bath for 6-12 weeks is completely unacceptable. Its not too cold at the moment (not like its dead of winter) so I would have thought you'd be able to manage temperature wise. Warm clothing if not, as you would to cut down on energy costs in winter. When it was being done on my estate, the building company had an office on the estate so you could go there to discuss details etc. You could try that.

But certainly get your councillor involved if the Housing Department aren't helpful. You might be able to get yourself pushed to the top of the list.

dannim12345

I work for a contractor who does work for councils (although not kitchen's and bathrooms).

There will be a tenant liaison officer from the contractor and/or the council who can deal with this e.g provide temporary heating, see if things can be speed along etc. You would likely have been provided with their contact details, if not your council can easily provide the details.

They should have asked you/you should have mentioned during your first meeting any health issues etc as this might have been discussed/sorted before the works started.

Contact your TLO/the contractor first, then the council and then if not resolved your Councillor. Contacting your Councillor would be a last step when things have not been resolved quickly/suitably.

12 weeks is probably worst case scenario and the 'programme' for your property will likely be much shorter.

Amanda4242

I have been in touch with the liasion officer and they said the best they can do to hurry it along is 6-8 weeks even knowing about my heart condition!

I can't believe they haven't even offered temporary heating, it just seems so unorganised.

I will be delivering my doctors letter today so hopefully this will speed things along.

Surely not leaving you without any bathing facility for up to 8 weeks is breaking a law? They can't expect a family to use a sink for that time. I feel sorry for the people who don't have family or friends to go to for bathing.

milliemonster

Sorry but as a cardiac nurse, I have never heard of any 'life threatening' or indeed any other cardiac condition being affected by temperature

ReadingTim

milliemonster wrote: »

Sorry but as a cardiac nurse, I have never heard of any 'life threatening' or indeed any other cardiac condition being affected by temperature

Quite. We're also heading into summer, so temperatures are unlikely to plummet - the opposite in fact. But if things do get a little chilly, the tenant could consider a warm jumper.

Pixie5740

The timescales given, are they not to complete the work?, Meaning it includes things like tiling, laying flooring and other finishing touches. So you'll have water and heating before 6-8 weeks?