No heating or hot water

[Tired Seeker]

Hi everybody. I am based in the UK and I am a council tenant who is experiencing great difficulty with getting repairs done.

The main repair I have is having no hot water or heating and its been 6 days now which is supposed to be classed as an emergency repair. I have spent many hours on the phone being placed on hold. I first reported the repair on Thursday and I get told somebody will be out within 24 hours so I'm waiting at home and nobody shows up its getting ridiculous and quite frustrating. The council are very hard to get hold off and I'm sitting on the phone a lot of the time while I'm placed on hold trying to find out why nobody has turned up only to be told that "somebody came but couldn't gain access." I'm getting really tired of this meanwhile I can not get a bath or keep warm.

Is there anything else I can do to get them fix the problem?

Thanks.

[islandgirl]

Have you contacted your local councillor?

[Tired Seeker]

I wouldn't know who that would be. I could try contacting my local MP but I don't think it would be much help because I'd imagine the council would just fob them off and that would be the end of it. Most places and services are shut to the public and very difficult to see anybody to get the situation resolved. I am paying for this heating and hot water in my service charges weekly which I'm not getting. I'm at a loss of what to do other than to give up and work around having no heating or hot water.

[islandgirl]

Then look them up on the council website and get in touch with them urgently - they should help you and ensure the council acts. The MP is not much help in situations like this - you need someone on the inside of teh council. Obviously do not give up - make them listen!

[Tired Seeker]

I'll try... I looked on the site, entered my post code and its come up with lots of councilors. I don't understand how to find out which one I need to contact so I'll just contact a random one or maybe a few and hope for a response maybe one could tell me who I need to contact.

Anyway thanks for your help. The problem today is with the state of this country people have no other option but to give up. Councils can do what they want and there is nothing anybody can do about it. I've been dealing with the council for years, they are very good at covering there backs, fobbing people off or avoiding people altogether by not answering phones etc. There are so many people out there who have given up. I will try thats all I can do. I'm not going to let it rule my life tho so if I get nowhere with it I just have live with it. I don't have the money to take them to court and diminishing services that could help are very stretched and limited.

[islandgirl]

My council has days when you can go in and discuss housing issues - yours probably does too. Get down there and speak to a human being. Councils were ever thus - you just have to be the squeaky wheel. Get the councillor on the case and it will be sorted I bet - don't give up. This country has its problems but is a million times better than many! Heating and hot water has to be fixed. You could also call shelter for advice (long waits on the phone apparently but may be worth a try)

[Tired Seeker]

My housing office has not been open to the public since the pandemic. There is no way to speak to a human directly even the other office which deals with complaints and other things are not see anybody neither. I have been trying for a ages but have closed there doors to people. Phoning up then being placed on hold is the only way. They have also taken there online repairs reporting off as well.

I spent 2 hours on the phone today and they sent somebody around but they were unable to repair the issue with the communal boiler. The council had made some changes to the communal heating system to make it more energy friendly because of the energy crisis which has now left me with no hot water or heating.

I understand legally they have to repair this within 24hrs but given the circumstances I don't think its going to be resolved any time soon. If the engineer was unable to fix it then I don't hold a whole lot of hope. I can't spend my life on hold to the council every day. I'm going to need to find another way to get the issue resolved. I emailed some councilors so hopefully one might get back to me.

[Foxy85]

Hello and thank you for the valuable information. This forum is a godsend for me.