Housing association Failing to do repairs and not responding to complaints advice needed

[Deleted User]

I appologise if I'm posting this in wrong place. I wonder if anyone can give me some advice.

This is going to be long so again I appologise is advanced.

I live in a 3 bedroom housing association house with my 4 children. All 4 of my child have special needs and medical conditions.

Back at end Of November 2022 boiler went wrong phoned housing association many times could not get through. Emailed and kept ringing.

Two weeks passed and heard nothing from them and no one had been out to look at boiler. We had no heating or hot water, temperature outside was below freezing with thick snow on ground.

Eventually after 2 1/2 weeks a boiler engineer turned up. He was useless and started whacking boiler with a wrench then openly admitted to me he had no experience and did not know what he was doing. He said he couldn't fix and left.

Christmas came and went and still no heating or hot water. I continually chased up housing association.

Toward end of December 2022 just after Christmas two more engineers came out both just as useless and could not fix, one of which was Very rude to me, swore at me and left me feeling intimidated in my own home.

I lodged a stage 1 complaint in January 2023 and in the housing associations response they were rude and just tried to blame everything on me and would not take any responsibility. They did promise they would reimburse me for the electricity that I was using to heat house with electric heaters and electric shower and electric hob to heat water to get hot water.

I continued fighting over the next few months, chased up every day, many more engineer visits and still boiler not fixed. By June I had had enough and lodged a stage 2 complaint.

The Beginning of July another Engineer came out and Finally fixed boiler.

In total we were left without heating and hot water for 7 nearly 8 months.

As of today I've still had no response to my stage 2 complaint.

They say they respond to stage 2 complaint within 20 days it's been 7 months with no response and I've never been reimbursed for the nearly 8 months we spent a fortune using electricity to run electric heaters and to get hot water.

I have continually chased them up about complaint and they just keep giving me excuse after excuse.

This weekend Boiler has gone wrong again

Woke up yesterday morning to find kitchen and hallway floor covered in water.

Turned out boiler was leaking and water was pouring all over electrics and control board from inside boiler.

Rang up yesterday and was continually put on hold. Spent most of the day trying to get through. Then was told it was not a emergency and that it was perfectly safe to keep on using a boiler thats pouring water all over electrics etc.

After alot more arguing they eventually sent a engineer out last night. He came and was from same company as last time and was just as useless. He found where it was leaking, which was heat exchange. Said washers needed replacing.

He in my opinion he did a cowboy job. He didn't have quite the right size washers so they kept slipping out so he got, some glue, pipe weld or sealent and covered washer in it and used it to glue washers in.

He then put boiler back together. It's seemed to fix leak and everything was working so he left.

This morning I wake up house was freezing. I went to bathroom to have a wash turned on hot tap, water came out for a few seconds the flow suddenly dropped to barely a trickle.

Went downstairs checked boiler and all lights were flashing. Tried to turn on heating but boiler was not responding, would not do anything or fire up.

Boiler was completely broken, I don't know what engineer did.

Spent most of today on phone to Housing association.

They sent another engineer out who was just as useless. He turned up looked at boiler, turned it off and on, tried re setting it once which did nothing. He then removed 2 screws dropped down control pannel had a quick glance lifted back up control panel then spent 10 minutes wrestling to screw screws back in to hold control panel up.

He couldnt even screw in screws properly. He jammed a screw on top of another and left it sticking out .

Over all he spent barely 5 minutes looking at boiler said he couldn't do anything. He offered me 1 Tiny electric heater to heat a 3 bedroom housing.

I'm beyond angry.

My questions are

First I want to go to housing ombudsman but according to housing ombudsman, They won't help until I've extinguished all avenues with housing association and got a final response to my complaint.

What if they never respond to complaint.

Housing ombudsman do not say what to do in this situation if you get no response from housing association. Any one know what I should do.

Secondly what are my right regarding getting boiler repaired.

I do not trust the company that they continually keep sending out. They are cowboys that don't know what they are doing. They took nearly 8 months to fix boiler. And even after they fixed I never felt boiler was safe.

They have terrible reviews online. Do I have any right to ask them to send a different company. I fear for the safety of any one who has had there boiler serviced or repaired by this company.

Some one needs to come forward a fight for the safety of tenants. They are putting cheap before safety. Using the worst cheapest company they can.

Every one on estate where I live has had problems with there boiler every one is sick of it.

I just don't know what to do next, I really don't want to go through another 7-8 months without heating or hot water.

What should my next step be?

Any advice much appreciated

Thanks in advance