Social Housing law question

[caledfwlch]

Hello!

 

Mother, stepfather and brothers live in a 3 floor council house, an old building.

 

Heating for the entire property is basically, 1 small gas fire in the living room.

 

Someone suggested that its actually against the law for a council/housing assoc property to not have central heating, is this true?

 

The mother is on ESA, and the house has serious damp problems, which still have not yet been fixed.

[perplexity]

Someone suggested that its actually against the law for a council/housing assoc property to not have central heating, is this true?

 

We have been in "social housing" for more than 30 years and follow this sort of thing fairly closely, the rights and duties of the tenants and the council or housing association but this is the first that I have heard of that.

[rebel11]

The guys will be happy to advise as soon as they are available.

[Madamfluff]

You could try the environmental health people if the house is damp but whats to stop your Family actually putting their hands in their pockets and buy more gas fires or portable electric fires and I dont know about it being against the law for housing association/council houses NOT to have central heating but I hope not after all 1000s of private renters home owners do not have CH I didnt have CH until I bought my last place and would really have liked the tax payer to fork out for it but no chance of that

 

Sorry but this is another post showing peoples sense of entitlement and inability to take some responsibility for their own environment.

 

If yiour family dont like where they are living then they can rent through the private sector and choose a property with CH

[MrShed]

Short answer is no. Longer answer is that the Decent Homes Standard (which is a minimum standard that all HAs and LAs are expected to adhere to) requires a good degree of "thermal comfort" in the property. This standard is not enforced for breaches in it (it is more of a general target, than specifically on a tenant by tenant requirement), and obviously "thermal comfort" does not in and of itself require GCH.

[caledfwlch]

You could try the environmental health people if the house is damp but whats to stop your Family actually putting their hands in their pockets and buy more gas fires or portable electric fires and I dont know about it being against the law for housing association/council houses NOT to have central heating but I hope not after all 1000s of private renters home owners do not have CH I didnt have CH until I bought my last place and would really have liked the tax payer to fork out for it but no chance of that

 

Sorry but this is another post showing peoples sense of entitlement and inability to take some responsibility for their own environment.

 

If yiour family dont like where they are living then they can rent through the private sector and choose a property with CH

 

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There is absolutely nothing suggesting a sense of entitlement in my post, thank you very much, maybe you should learn to become more literate, at least past an "spot chased the ball" level, if you do so, then you are welcome to return and explain where this sense of entitlement appears.

 

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Edited August 3, 2011 by caledfwlch

[caledfwlch]

Short answer is no. Longer answer is that the Decent Homes Standard (which is a minimum standard that all HAs and LAs are expected to adhere to) requires a good degree of "thermal comfort" in the property. This standard is not enforced for breaches in it (it is more of a general target, than specifically on a tenant by tenant requirement), and obviously "thermal comfort" does not in and of itself require GCH.

 

Thankyou, just what I thought, the Shelter advisor was getting confused, unless the Welsh Senate is bringing something in.

 

She needs to focus on the damp issues at the moment anyway.

[MrShed]

Have you brought the damp issues up via the formal complaints process? Could you name the HA please? (simply as I cannot advise anything that directly involves my employer). And - you are welcome.

[caledfwlch]

Have you brought the damp issues up via the formal complaints process? Could you name the HA please? (simply as I cannot advise anything that directly involves my employer). And - you are welcome.

 

Tai Ceredigion is the HA.

 

They have been informed, many, many times. The Shelter advisor is now on the case, and is writing to them giving them a week or two, or Environmental Health will be involved. I believe the many, many phonecalls and meetings held regarding the damp is fair warning, and that Environmental Health should be contacted first.

 

It is serious enough, that a private Landlord would be prosecuted without a doubt, don't know what would happen with a HA though.

 

The walls in the kichen and hall are collapsing and cracking due to the damp, the walls are near black, the kitchen units are soggy, and wont remain clean, the sink unit has become completely detached from the wall. The double glazing windows which were fitted in the kitchen and leak are probably not helping either. Its not the best environment for the mother with her respiratory illnesses like COPD and my brothers Asthma.

[MrShed]

Outrageous. Easy throw away comment for me to make, but I would be shocked if that happened in my HA. I would suggest escalating this to the TSA/Housing Ombudsman: http://www.tenantservicesauthority.org/server/show/ConWebDoc.16267

[caledfwlch]

Outrageous. Easy throw away comment for me to make, but I would be shocked if that happened in my HA. I would suggest escalating this to the TSA/Housing Ombudsman: http://www.tenantservicesauthority.org/server/show/ConWebDoc.16267

 

I have been telling her, and telling her to go right to the top on this, its beyond a joke. The HA has already been embarressed recently by some of its shortcomings, and unless they are poked with sharp pointy sticks they wont do anything.

 

I do not believe the Shelter advisor's letter will make any difference, only a phonecall from Environmental Health will make them jump. I believe that the damage is so severe, that it will take so long to fix, that they are going to have to be put up somewhere else, and have their meals paid for whilst repairs are made!

 

But then, thats my mum, how dare she feel a sense of entitlement in wanting a house thats not extremely dangerous and toxic to her health....

 

I think, if a judge were shown pictures of the kitchen, a HA officer could well find himself facing prosecution.

[MrShed]

MPs tend to be interested in this level of disrepair from a HA/LA as well by the way...

[stu007]

Hi

 

this is shocking and i would make sure you have photographic evidence of all the problems

 

Personally i wouldnt wait to get Enviromental Health involved i would be contacting them myself and requesting that they come out and inspect the property and you are given a copy of there findings.

[Madamfluff]

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There is absolutely nothing suggesting a sense of entitlement in my post, thank you very much, maybe you should learn to become more literate, at least past an "spot chased the ball" level, if you do so, then you are welcome to return and explain where this sense of entitlement appears.

 

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Secondly you do have a sense of entitlement , you seem to expect there should be laws to give you the central heating just because you are in social housing when people who rent through the private sector have no legal right to central heating and people who buy often cant afford to install it.

 

However you have given more information about the problems in other posts and I would agree with others that the situation is deplorable, however the question still remains that if I gas fire is not enough to heat the house why your family have not bought electric fires or some other means of heating the house.

 

 

 

I take it you have approached

[perplexity]

Secondly you do have a sense of entitlement , you seem to expect there should be laws to give you the central heating just because you are in social housing when people who rent through the private sector have no legal right to central heating and people who buy often cant afford to install it.

 

 

Ceredigion Housing Association is a private sector company.

 

The County Council's housing stock was privatised in 2009.

 

Central heating provided by the Association would have to be funded by a private loan, not by the government and guess what: This was already supposed to have happened.

 

I therefore surmise that caledfwlch is looking for a way to force them to stick to their promise, a pathetically naive ambition if I may be so bold as to say so.

 

 

P.S.

 

Tenants vote to divorce themselves from the councils, because a good deal of time and money is spent to convince them that these sort of benefits are not available from the public sector, not because the public sector is perceived to be a soft touch.

Edited August 4, 2011 by perplexity
PS