‘I’ve had to boil the kettle and fill the sink for a flannel wash’ – council leaves woman without hot water for a month

Michelle Atterbury is still waiting for a working boiler. Photograph: Michelle Atterbury

A woman living on a Hackney estate has been left without hot water and heating for over a month, despite repeated attempts to seek support from the council.

With temperatures now dropping close to zero degrees at night, Michelle Atterbury has become confined to her bedroom after work, using an electric blanket in a bid to keep herself warm in her home on the De Beauvoir Estate.

The 56-year-old told the Citizen: “It has been very stressful trying to keep myself clean and warm.

“I haven’t been able to have a proper wash because there’s no hot water. I’ve had to boil the kettle and fill the sink for a flannel wash, which means I can only wash myself once a day in the morning to control the cost of running it.

“I also have to boil the kettle several times a day to wash dishes and wipe down surfaces. To reduce health risks, I’ve been using neat disinfectant daily to clean my kitchen surfaces.

“To cope with the cold, I purchased a paraffin heater for the room I work from, but this means the rest of the flat remains very cold. After finishing work, I usually go straight to my bedroom and stay in bed with an electric blanket to keep warm.”

Ms Atterbury bought a paraffin heater to keep warm. Photograph: Michelle Atterbury

Life in Ms Atterbury’s council flat has become “uncomfortable” and the situation has had a “significant impact” on her health and wellbeing, she said.

Hackney Council is responsible for maintenance of the properties it owns. Complete or partial heating failures are classified as an emergency repair.

Tenants are expected to report any heating faults or issues promptly to the council.

Ms Atterbury says she contacted the council on 29 September and reported having no hot water, a broken boiler and a faulty immersion heater.

Despite a tradersperson fixing the immersion heater on 27 October, Ms Atterbury is still waiting for a new boiler to be installed.

She also claims electricians and inspectors contacted about the issue told her they were unqualified to tackle her issues and handed her claim onto different departments, delaying the process.

She told the Citizen: “I feel extremely disappointed and let down by the council’s lack of support. Despite reporting the issue and explaining how difficult it has been to live without heating and hot water, I have not received any meaningful assistance or sense of urgency in resolving the problem.

“It feels as though my situation has not been taken seriously, even though it has impacted my health, comfort, and daily life.

“I have had to implement my own temporary solutions just to cope, which has been both stressful and unfair.”

Ms Atterbury has filed a formal complaint with the council and received a response on 20 October, stating it may be another six weeks before a boiler is fitted.

She said: “Hackney is treating a 30-day delay in restoring hot water as reasonable.”

Ms Atterbury claims this is not the first time she has experienced issues in her council home.

Earlier this year, a full survey found the property she rents has faulty plug sockets, a broken window which does not close, four radiators that require updating, and low water pressure.

Ms Atterbury said: “The surveyor took photos of all the issues and informed me that Hackney Council would follow up to arrange repairs. However, I have not heard anything back since, and none of the problems identified in the survey have been addressed.”

Hackney Council’s housing service receives around 80,000 requests a year for repairs from tenants and leaseholders.

The council says it responds to these “as quickly as possible”. However, a watchdog in June of this year found Hackney Council was an ‘outlier in some areas’ regarding the scale of its housing failures.

The council the following month launched a Housing Improvement Plan in a bid to reduce “the time it takes to complete work on repairs, damp, mould and leaks” and speed up the complaints resolution process.

For residents like Ms Atterbury, the reforms are needed now more than ever.

The council has now provided Ms Atterbury with two heaters while she waits for her new boiler. Photograph: Michelle Atterbury

A Hackney Council spokesperson said: “We are aware of the issues Ms Atterbury is having with her heating. We are working as quickly as we can to get the issue sorted and apologise for the inconvenience this is causing.

“The tenant has now been supplied with temporary heaters until the heating in her home can be fixed. A new boiler has been arranged to be delivered and installed on 20 November, as the tenant was not available sooner. In the meantime the home’s immersion heater has been renewed to provide hot water.

“We know the importance of having a working heating system on our residents’ quality of life – especially as we are approaching the colder weather. This is why between now and 30 April we seek to repair any tenants’ heating that breaks down within 24 working hours of it being reported.

“If anyone living in a council home is having an issue with their heating, they should contact us as soon as possible on 020 8356 3691.”