A WOMAN has hit out at a housing association after a leak left her without hot water for six weeks.
Suzi Newsome, who lives in Clifton upon Teme with her husband, said the leak meant they were unable to shower properly during the heatwave, which saw temperatures reach over 30 degrees at the end of last month.
“I spent my whole birthday mopping it up,” she said. “We spent over £100 on things to soak the water up.
“It was 34 degrees and I couldn’t even shower properly.”
She said Citizen Housing refused to inspect the issue, telling her that the issue was her responsibility as she has shared ownership of the home.
But when Mrs Newsome eventually paid thousands of pounds for a plumber to replace the cylinder, she claims he told them that the cylinder had not been installed correctly in the first place.
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“I don’t see why I should pay money for something that is part of the structure of the house,” she said.
“You never get a call back from Citizen. I sent email after email and the response was always that I’m responsible for it.
“They wouldn’t even come out and see it.
“I was banging my head against a wall. We have to pay rent but we don’t get the same service as people who are tenants.
“When I finally got someone to come out and look at the leak, they said it wasn’t installed properly and they were amazed we got it working at all.”
Citizen Housing said the home is now outside of its warranty period, meaning installation problems are no longer covered.
“We’re sorry to hear about the issues Mrs Newsome has experienced in her home and we understand how frustrating this situation is,” said Neil Whittenbury, head of leasehold and commercial services at Citizen
“The management of the homes at Pound Meadow was transferred to us in 2013 from another housing association, which means they are now outside of the original warranty period that would cover any installation issues.
“For shared ownership properties, responsibility for internal fittings, including the water cylinder, usually sits with the customer rather than Citizen.
“That said, we want to support Mrs Newsome where we can and we have encouraged her to share a copy of the plumber’s report so we can better understand the issue and look at where we may be able to help.”