Dad stuck in flat with no heating for 3 years as baby 'freezes' every night
A dad has described how his baby daughter is left “freezing” every night as his flat has been without heating for over three years.
Steve Armstrong, 31, joined his partner in the North Greenwich flat in 2022 - he said there had been no heating ever since she first moved in in 2019. The issue became more urgent after his six-year-old daughter moved in, he said. Since the arrival of the couple’s new baby eight months ago, Steve says he fears for his children’s health.
“It disturbs [the baby’s] sleep, definitely. She's sneezing all night, all the time. This is her first year but my six-year-old’s room is freezing and she's constantly ill with cold and coughs. Both of them, if you touch them in the morning, they’re freezing cold,” he said
The couple have filed two formal complaints with housing association L&Q, and exchanged numerous calls and emails, but Steve said the company has still not taken responsibility for the problem. Instead he said the housing association and heating company, Loka Energy, were passing the matter between each other when staff visit the home during winter each year, MyLondon reports.
“[L&Q] sent someone out last week again. He came to look and said, ‘It's not our issue, send it over to Loka’,” he said. “Loka have been contacted by L&Q and by us. They sent out their own guy twice. They just come here for five or ten minutes, and they will say, ‘This isn't our issue, it’s L&Q’s,’ and that’s it.”
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Steve said the flat’s location beside the Thames means the wind is felt particularly strongly in the flat, and feels that the bedroom windows are not sealed properly. He claimed the issue becomes most noticeable between November and January each year. The dad explained: “December is the worst. It just gets so cold in the bedrooms. I've been sleeping with a tracksuit on. I can feel the breeze, I sleep closest to the window.”
The flat has been without heating for years, Steve explained (Facundo Arrizabalaga/MyLondon)He added: “When you go into [my older daughter’s] bedroom in the morning and open the door, you can feel the cold hit you. It’s like you’re going outside, and she’s sleeping in it.” Mr Armstrong believes the problem is restricted to only his family’s flat after speaking to neighbours in the building. He said the couple have decided to stop paying their heating bill for the past month until they are told what they are paying it for.
He added: “It's just unbelievable in this day and age that you pay all this rent and nothing has happened. I’m always stressed about the kids and it’s like there’s no compassion. I'm sure the people typing emails wouldn’t stand for having a freezing cold bedroom.”
Steve has filed two official complaints but says he was just fobbed off by his housing provider and energy company (Facundo Arrizabalaga/MyLondon)A Loka Energy spokesperson said: "Loka have been engaging with L&Q and understand this matter is being resolved by the housing association as their landlord."
An L&Q spokesperson said: “The health and wellbeing of our residents will always be a top priority at L&Q, and we’re sorry that our repairs service has fallen short of the standards our residents should expect in this instance. We have spoken with the Armstrong family to apologise for the unacceptable delay in repairing their heating, and our specialist heating contractor will be at their home tomorrow (December 21) to identify and resolve the problem. We will remain in contact with the family over the days and weeks ahead to ensure that their heating is fully restored.”
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