Community
jLiving tenant complains of 'shockingly bad' conditions at Finchley apartment
Housing association says it has 'made every effort to minimise discomfort and distress' to those affected by heating issue
October 12, 2021 14:24
Housing association says it has 'made every effort to minimise discomfort and distress' to those affected by heating issue
October 12, 2021 14:24A jLiving tenant claims she has endured “shockingly bad” conditions at her Finchley apartment — and been “treated like a second-class citizen” by the Jewish housing association.
The 60 year-old, who asked to remain anonymous, moved into Shine House three years ago, having read on jLiving’s website that its properties were “characterised by a high standard of living accommodation”.
She alleges that for her and others, the reality has been markedly different.
Her flat had been “freezing cold” with no hot water between last November and March.
“I was shivering. I was cold. Three-and-a-half months of it. I didn’t know what to do. I really at times wanted to walk out but I have nowhere to go,” she said.
She claimed that she waited three weeks for a reply to some of her emails to jLiving, which paid her £165 in compensation for her ordeal.
The woman now says she is facing renewed issues, with insufficient heating in her “draughty” home since mid-August, although she has had access to hot water through immersion heaters.
She has withheld gas payments “because I’m not paying for something I don’t have”.
The small portable heater provided by jLiving was not enough to keep her warm.
“As soon as you turn these little heaters off it’s cold again after 20 minutes.”
In a statement to the JC, jLiving CEO Jane Goodman said it was “in the finishing stages of a boiler replacement programme at the scheme to resolve the longstanding problems with heating and hot water”.
It had experienced some delays due to the timing of the Jewish holidays “and this has been explained to all tenants”.
Ms Goodman said it had “made every effort to minimise discomfort and distress to all tenants affected, including the provision of additional heaters and the installation of immersion heaters to allow hot water”.
According to jLiving, the aggrieved tenant was told on September 1 that works were expected to take up to six weeks and was promised compensation for “any additional electricity costs incurred”.
The association was “saddened to learn that any tenant should feel like a second-class citizen”. It endeavoured to “provide the very best possible levels of service to all of our tenants and leaseholders but are happy to accept when we may not get things right”.
Ms Goodman added she was willing to discuss matters directly with the tenant to find “a harmonious way forward”.