Housing association letting me down!

jackoftrade

Hi all,

I hope someone could help me here. I am a new tenant within my private housing association and officially moved in last week. However, after conducting a self assessment, I have been recording every fault in a log book, as well as taking photographic evidence. I have also been seeking independent advice from third parties to back up my claim. For example, last week I reported a faulty smoke detector straightaway but they deemed it as 'non urgent'. I had to ring up their out of hours repairs team, which are based in a call centre somewhere in Kent. They promised me a phone call the following day, never received it. I then called them up again to find out what is going on and it was at moment when I applied the pressure I requested the number for the contractor they use, but was refused. I managed to find the number for the contractor myself and they sent out a guy immediately. It is simple things like not taking health and safety as well as fire regulations seriously. There are so many things wrong with this housing association and I have been pushing for things to be right otherwise I could be forced to go down the legal route, which could still be a possibility.

I'd like to know if I am going down the right channels? What else could you advise I should do, I have got in touch with every single organisation to make them aware of the situation.

Thanks in advance.

HampshireH

You moved in a week ago. Seems very dramatic to start talking about legal routes when ypu wouldnt even have had time to exhaist their in house complaints and then subsequent ombudsman process.

Smoke alarms yup important. Should have been sorted before you moved in. Was it the battery or an issue with the hard wiring? Batteries csn go anytime and are usually tenant responsibility to replace.

Whats wrong with the call centre being in kent? Its not the advisor who will be attending to you repair.

You sound like a nightmare to manage expectations of.

What are the repairs you are logging,

tacpot12

The smoke alarm might not have been urgent if there were other working smoke alarms in the property.

Davy_Jones_II

If your smoke detector is not working I’d suggest fixing it or spending five pounds on a new one until your landlord fixes the one already there.

You could have bought one off amazon in less time than it took you to write your post on here...

As above, what’s the problem with the call centre being in Kent?

diggingdude

Sounds like you should find yourself a nice private let and allow someone else to move into the HA property and suffer the poor service

jackoftrade

HampshireH wrote: »

You moved in a week ago. Seems very dramatic to start talking about legal routes when ypu wouldnt even have had time to exhaist their in house complaints and then subsequent ombudsman process.

Smoke alarms yup important. Should have been sorted before you moved in. Was it the battery or an issue with the hard wiring? Batteries csn go anytime and are usually tenant responsibility to replace.

Whats wrong with the call centre being in kent? Its not the advisor who will be attending to you repair.

You sound like a nightmare to manage expectations of.

What are the repairs you are logging,

There are a couple of clauses in my Agreement to say the landlord is responsible for the repairs side. If there is a problem we are required to call up to the repairs team, based in Kent, which is over 100 miles away. In regards to the faulty smoke detector, it was a battery issue but the problem I had to deal with was that the smoke detector system is linked to the mains supply for the entire building. I was advised by the fire brigade to get a professional in who specialises in fire safety equipment. I understand a battery replacement is a 2 minute job, but the amount of effort it took from my side to get someone to replace the battery, was ridiculous. I'm not being a nightmare but I want to be able to feel safe living here and I know it is a different example but the Grenfell disaster should be something that all landlords should highlight and therefore to take things like health and safety as well as fire regulations seriously. That is one thing, but there are other issues here also, such as a drainage/blockage issue, the general state of the building exterior (cracks in the walls, chipped roofing etc.) as well as the interior, the way the grounds have been left in such a state, i.e leaves all over the place, moss, clutter been left lying around and there appears to be a security issue such as broken fence panels, a back door left open all night by one of the other tenants here, other tenants not protecting their modesty in communal areas as well as other things. I will give them time to respond to the issues I have here and I have meetings with the manager who oversees every site later this week so I will produce my findings then for them to decide what the best course of action is required. If I am not happy with their response then I will be looking at escalate the matter further so yes I do have high expectations but I am a firm believer in putting things right.

jackoftrade

Davy_Jones_II wrote: »

If your smoke detector is not working I’d suggest fixing it or spending five pounds on a new one until your landlord fixes the one already there.

You could have bought one off amazon in less time than it took you to write your post on here...

As above, what’s the problem with the call centre being in Kent?

I am after general advice as it's my first time renting a property, so if you have nothing constructive to say then please feel free to leave otherwise I'd appreciate any advice you may have rather than being negative.

elsien

jackoftrade wrote: »

There are a couple of clauses in my Agreement to say the landlord is responsible for the repairs side. If there is a problem we are required to call up to the repairs team, based in Kent, which is over 100 miles away. In regards to the faulty smoke detector, it was a battery issue but the problem I had to deal with was that the smoke detector system is linked to the mains supply for the entire building. I was advised by the fire brigade to get a professional in who specialises in fire safety equipment. I understand a battery replacement is a 2 minute job, but the amount of effort it took from my side to get someone to replace the battery, was ridiculous. I'm not being a nightmare but I want to be able to feel safe living here and I know it is a different example but the Grenfell disaster should be something that all landlords should highlight and therefore to take things like health and safety as well as fire regulations seriously. That is one thing, but there are other issues here also, such as a drainage/blockage issue, the general state of the building exterior (cracks in the walls, chipped roofing etc.) as well as the interior, the way the grounds have been left in such a state, i.e leaves all over the place, moss, clutter been left lying around and there appears to be a security issue such as broken fence panels, a back door left open all night by one of the other tenants here, other tenants not protecting their modesty in communal areas as well as other things. I will give them time to respond to the issues I have here and I have meetings with the manager who oversees every site later this week so I will produce my findings then for them to decide what the best course of action is required. If I am not happy with their response then I will be looking at escalate the matter further so yes I do have high expectations but I am a firm believer in putting things right.

You phoned the fire brigade?
if its a 2 minute job to replace the battery, then why did you not take two minutes to do it yourself? It doesn't matter that it's a mains alarm, the battery is still a quick DIY job.
And if you start bypassing the HA maintenance line and start contacting contractors directly yourself you may find yourself also getting the associated invoices.
You say you're not a nightmare - you may find your HA differs in that view if you carry on like this. You're complaining about leaves in autumn. This has got to be a wind up.

AdrianC

jackoftrade wrote: »

I am after general advice as it's my first time renting a property

Ooookay.
Look, here's the single most important thing you need to know here.

"General advice" might not always agree with your preconceptions. Sorry, but it's true.

Yes, the smoke alarm should be working.
Yes, if it's mains-linked, the battery should just be a backup. You checked the fusebox hadn't tripped that circuit, right?
But... If it's bipping away, SHOVE ANOTHER FLIPPIN' BATTERY IN. Then it can get sorted at leisure, and you won't die horribly. Getting all melodramatic and "Butbutbutgrenfell" just diminishes any actual point you may have. Clue: Grenfell was not about smoke alarm batteries.

Whether the call centre is 1,000m away, 100 miles away, or a 10 hour flight away is utterly irrelevant. They're a call centre.

You don't like the property? You have two choices. Accept it, and change the things that you can change... or move.

Be thankful that you're in social housing. Many would love the chance.

[Deleted User]

There is little you can or should do if someone is being immodest (providing they are not getting hypothermia ) in a communal area. If you mean they were walking around in dressing gown but fully covered, definitely none of your business.

Social housing, being short of money, will always be slow to get repairs done. And experience resistance to getting repairs done. It IS one of the joys of social housing. I experience it too, but I also know my rent is 2/3 of private housing levels in this area so I do things myself wherever possible, including weeding and sweeping leaves in communal areas. I know it won't be done very often, don't like how it looks so I spend half an hour or so cleaning up every once in a while (and I have some disabilities).

What you are calling negativity is not getting the answers you want. But you are getting the truth. You are being rather over the top.

How about doing some volunteering to take your mind off things that will really do you no good getting so hot under the collar about? Might make you feel more positive too. Enjoy your new property, think how fortunate you are, decorate it, enjoy it rather than looking for every little thing that is wrong with it. There will be thousands of people in your borough praying for the same opportunity.

jackoftrade

deannatrois wrote: »

There is little you can or should do if someone is being immodest (providing they are not getting hypothermia ) in a communal area. If you mean they were walking around in dressing gown but fully covered, definitely none of your business.

Social housing, being short of money, will always be slow to get repairs done. And experience resistance to getting repairs done. It IS one of the joys of social housing. I experience it too, but I also know my rent is 2/3 of private housing levels in this area so I do things myself wherever possible, including weeding and sweeping leaves in communal areas. I know it won't be done very often, don't like how it looks so I spend half an hour or so cleaning up every once in a while (and I have some disabilities).

What you are calling negativity is not getting the answers you want. But you are getting the truth. You are being rather over the top.

How about doing some volunteering to take your mind off things that will really do you no good getting so hot under the collar about? Might make you feel more positive too. Enjoy your new property, think how fortunate you are, decorate it, enjoy it rather than looking for every little thing that is wrong with it. There will be thousands of people in your borough praying for the same opportunity.

Their version of truth and my version of truth are two different things. I have been making a log of every single fault, have photographic evidence to support my claim. I only recently moved in and I already want to get out of this place, it is a lovely flat and the grounds are really nice, but it is the actual Housing Association who are to blame. It is an eye opener and a real shock and I have been expecting answers and swift action but the whole process is pathetic so I have been constantly pushing for things to be right and I come from a business/law background myself and they are breaching several terms in the Agreement. I have been applying the pressure and now I am getting a response from them that I have been expecting.