‘Why don’t they care?’ Family of seven are left without hot water for months
Flat in Canonbury also had no water supply at all on two occasions – once for more than 24 hours
Friday, 11th September — By Amy Reid
A crack in the wall in the building’s stairwell area
A FAMILY of seven living in a council flat in Canonbury who have been left without hot water for months and without running water on more than one occasion say they have had to chase the council multiple times for help.
Timur Bargishev and Zareta Mamadaeva told the Tribune the boiler in their flat in New Bentham Court has not been working for over two months and that responses from the council have been slow.
An engineer who inspected the boiler on 20 August told Mr Bargishev it may need to be replaced, but no further action was taken by the council until the tenant chased them via email on September 1, to which the council responded on September 8.
“We reported it, no response,” he told the Tribune. “When we started reporting to the press, they started making some moves.”
The family have since been informed that their boiler is set to be replaced today (Friday). The flat also experienced a complete lack of water supply on two occasions since August, once for more than 24 hours. Plumbers were sent out twice but were unable to make any repairs.
Mr Bargishev told the Tribune that hitting the tap briefly gets the supply started again but it ultimately stops.
“Sooner or later, they will have a big issue because they keep doing surface-level stuff.”
The couple live in the three-bedroom flat with their five children between the ages of five and 19. The family previously lived in Manchester for 20 years, where Mr Bargishev says they never experienced maintenance issues this severe.
Cllr Jason Jackson, Islington’s housing chief
In May, the Tribune reported that Islington was found to have “serious failings” in its responsibilities as a social landlord in a report by the regulator for social housing. The regulator found there were more than 1,000 overdue lift remedial actions across council houses in the borough.
Mr Bargishev said: “We live in almost the centre of London, it’s the centre of civilisation. My biggest worry, my biggest disappointment is that we’re paying for everything and we’ve never been in arrears for anything. If it’s delayed, if it’s less than required, you’ll be bombarded with emails and threatening letters. But why don’t they care that when we pay, they don’t deliver?”
He added that cleaning of communal areas and care-taking services provided by the council were “very poor”. The outer layer of the stairwell outside the family’s flat is currently cracked and pulling away from the rest of the wall.
Councillor Jason Jackson, Islington’s housing chief, said: “We are truly sorry for the inconvenience and frustration this resident and their family have experienced. The service they received fell short of the standards we expect, and we apologise for the delays.
“Temporary accommodation will be provided if the resident wishes to take up this offer, and a member of our tenancy team will contact the family to discuss this and any support they may need.
“Following further investigation, we can confirm the resident’s mains water supply was restored on 2 September after a faulty stopcock was repaired. We have arranged further checks to the property’s water supply and plumbing systems. We also understand the resident has reported boiler issues. We completed a boiler installation survey today (September 10), and the installation has been arranged with the resident for tomorrow.
“We recognise the impact this has had on the family and are reviewing how the case was handled to understand what caused the delays and how we can prevent similar issues in future. We remain in contact with the resident and are focused on resolving the outstanding issues as quickly as possible.”
