For the past few weeks, residents of Curnock Street Estate have been experiencing persistent issues with hot water, heating, or both. At the same time, the flats above the boiler house are also affected by a piercing, pulsating noise from the boiler house caused by poorly maintained equipment.

Residents are spending hours on the phone waiting to report the problem to a wholly unsuitable Repairs Team that simply does not care and is dysfunctional. Multiple reference numbers for the same problem, but no resolution. Sometimes they even stop taking new calls or provide reference numbers to show that the council is doing a good job and that there are few complaints.

At the same time, vulnerable and elderly residents are left alone to suffer in order for the council to save some money to cover their employees’ inefficiency. Every year, Camden Council sets aside budget funds for compensation rather than providing good service in the first place. Even that is done in a way that pays residents peanuts while offering high salaries to people who are not well-suited for the job.

Camden Council is in breach of the leases and tenancy agreements and is consistently failing to demonstrate a duty of care. They even violate their own HMO rules, which state that when the temperature outside is -1 degrees, the temperature inside the flat must be 21 degrees.

For example, they force leaseholders to install extra radiators in bathrooms, which make no difference when the whole flat has no heating, and the outside temperature is -5 degrees.

Other estates are also experiencing the same problems. Read more here.

REPORT PROBLEMS

1. Contact housing repairs via their website or telephone (020 7974 4444)
2. Contact your councillors
3. Send an email to Tony Castle (Head of Repairs) at antony.castle@camden.gov.uk
4. Additional contact details are available to registered users.