Can Housing Association Evict Me for continually complaining?

JKDAY

Hi guys I have been complaining to my HA for 2 years now about heating & hot water services as in it always breaks. I've escalated several times to the point where they say they can not help me anymore. I am waiting for ombudsman to look at my case, but is there anything they can do like revenge eviction wise to get me out? My rent & bills are upto date but I have an outstanding utility bill for heating and hot water which I refuse to pay due to issues. I have in writing said I will happily pay for usage. Can they do anything back hand because I keep complaining? Can they say I am harassing them or anything or I'm problematic? I am very respectful of my property and all other tenants. Thanks

marksoton

Not really.

Why are you refusing to pay a utility bill?

JKDAY

Because they bill me for the heating & hot water which is always broken, that I continually complain about! They charge me for units of energy which I have not used as the meter turns over even when I have no access to heating & hot water. Also I do not feel standing charges are accurate and fair for the times I am without service. Example last night & this morning I have to come to work filthy as I can not shower but get charged 25p x 2 standing charge. Can someone please let me know if this is unreasonable of me until its properly looked at? I have offered to pay amended bill which I have out in writing to them

wealdroam

marksoton wrote: »

Why are you refusing to pay a utility bill?

OP's other thread may go some way towards answering that.

t0rt0ise

I think you need to be careful about racking up a debt with them. If they chose to they could make things difficult claiming that you were in debt. I would never get into debt with my HA for anything. Even when I was disputing the service charge, I still paid it as requested until they'd sorted it out and reduced the sum.

JKDAY

Thank you. I have been emailing everyone about it so its all very well documented why I wont pay it but maybe I should offer part payment?

I am on the verge of taking them and the bill to a small claims court myself as I feel so strongly that I'm not responsible for the whole bill but they insist I am

dc197

What powers the heating? Gas, electricity? Why does the meter keep turning when you don't have access to the heating? Is the gas leaking, or is the energy consumed but you do not benefit from its heat? Could you elaborate?

JKDAY

thanks, apparently its heat that powers the heating, its not gas or electricity but a HIU which is a communal supply and filtered through to individual flats. The meter turns because apparently as well as a standing charge to ensure the service, I should be paying 0 - 1.5kw per day to ensure an instantaneous service but I am currently being charged more than 2kw per day. As an example I went on holiday for a week and the meter turned 15 units. This is why I do not believe I'm liable for the whole bill and complain about it especially when its a fault within their pump room and I receive no supply at all, the meter sill turns. They said in writing that it shouldn't do this but they still do not offer a credit for these times, they wont wipe the standing charge or the 2kw for their services being broken. I am not sure if I am being unreasonable by continuing to complain and insist on a credit on the bill to reflect the down time anymore but as I consumer not receiving a service I should be able to complain about it?. I'm also quite upset that by their own admission i'm using more energy than the 0 - 1.5kw that they quoted me and I'm paying 2kw per day which is more than average and they wont do anything about it. Any advice is really welcome!

dc197

JKDAY wrote: »

I receive no supply at all, the meter sill turns.

Is the meter defective? Have you over simplified your description of how you get heat? Or perhaps even misunderstood it (no offence).

What is the meter measuring? Not what it is displaying, but measuring. Flow of hot water through the system? Average temp of radiators?

JKDAY

They sent someone out and they said the meter was turning more than it should, internally it was set at 0.1 rather than 0 so was racking up units when it shouldn't. Yes the meter was super defective last winter i went without heating and hot water a lot but it seems to be fixed somewhat now or shall i say its not as bad as it was. I really don't know much about a HIU to be honest its really new to me and I don't understand how the energy source (which they say is heat) is measured in kwh that shows up on my unit. For example it uses about 5kwh for a shower, however that is measured.

HappyMJ

dc197 wrote: »

Is the meter defective? Have you over simplified your description of how you get heat? Or perhaps even misunderstood it (no offence).

What is the meter measuring? Not what it is displaying, but measuring. Flow of hot water through the system? Average temp of radiators?

A HIU measures the flow rate of the water and the temperature difference between the input and output to figure out how much energy was taken in kWh.

The water always flows to provide instant heat. If no heat is drawn off from the water then the output temperature should be exactly the same as the input temperature and no charge is made but a small loss of 1 degree might be measured which would lead to the meter registering usage at around 1.7kWh per day assuming the bypass trickle flow rate was fairly low at 60 litres per hour.