UPDATED: Octavia HA leave pensioner 25 days without heating after 10 'no shows' by heating engineers

 Bannister House - what's behind the gloss?

UPDATE: SINCE PUBLICATION TWO COUNCILLORS HAVE BEEN IN CONTACT OFFERING HELP.

 

A pensioner with cancer has been left for 25 days in a new build South Kilburn flat with only a portable electric fire for heating. Octavia Housing Association has promised repair but  made 10 appointments and failed to turn up to any of them. I understand that the required repair is replacement of two thermostats,

John H, the pensioner concerned had been transferred to the housing association, at higher rent, as part of the relocations taking place as a consequence of the South Kilburn Regeneration.  When he turned to Brent Council for assistance they washed their hands of him: it was the housing association's problem.  An appeal to the South Kilburn Tenants' Steering Group was similarly fruitless.

 On December 8th John H emailed me;

 Briefly, I have rung about 30 times, contacted both Octavia and Abli, SureServe the heating contractors & tthe Management Agent for Bannister House, 

On Wednesday I rang Octavia again only to learn they were closed as they were holding their Xmas party.

Last Monday I received a phone call from SureServe Serve an engineer would visit my home sometime during the day but no one came.

On Monday afternoon I tried an officer, who managed to arrange an appointment for me on Tuesday between 8am and 12pm but again no one came.

Another apptointment was made for  me yesterday morning but no one showed up.

I am losing track but I think they have made 6 appointments so far but no one has attended any of them.

For good measure, I asked some questions at last Wednesdays Tenant Steering Group Zoom meeting  to the South Kilburn Regeneration Team leader who told me they could not help me, as I was no longer a Brent council tenant and it was up to Octavia to fix the issue. 

 

From Octavia's Tenants' website

In a catch up John told Wembley Matters : 

I made my first contact with Octavia on the 24th November who made 10 appointments for me with their heating contractor SureServe but they failed to attend any of them with the latest one being today the 19th December 2025.

I also contacted the Management Agent for Bannister House who informed me that they were only responsible for communal repairs.

I am still waiting to have my heating restored. I have have been waiting for more than 3 weeks to get the repair carried out.

If I had known that it would take this long to carry out an emergency repair, I might have asked for alternative accommodation but I suppose now I will just have to wait until the repair is carried out.

I submitted a complaint to Octavia, as on their website it says all emergency repairs will be completed within 24 hours but they have not replied to me yet, even though they are well past the time they are supposed to reply.

 

I wish I was a Brent council tenant again.

 The last statement is poignant after all the hope and public relations put into the regeneration  with around 6 different developers and housing associations involved.

I understand there is also a heating problem at Swift House, managed by L&Q, that has existed since March and I have covered the long delay in Brent Council repairing a faulty door in one of its own blocks despite the finding of the Social Housing Regulator   See: https://wembleymatters.blogspot.com/2025/12/failings-in-brent-councils-social.html

The Brent Council's Action Plan in response to the findings of the Regulator has yet to be published and is significantly behind schedule. 

Where do residents turn to for decent housing? Not to up-market build to rent Quintain it appears from the Evening Standard's story abour soaring charges and evictions:  

https://www.standard.co.uk/homesandproperty/renting/quintain-living-tenants-evictions-rent-hikes-bills-wembley-build-to-rent-b1259844.html

L&Q had problems with unsafe balconies on its properties and currently balconies are being inspected in the first Quintain Properties at Quadrant Court and  Forum House.

After the seious fire in Octavia's Wembley Central  property. Petworth Court,  the  Housing Regulator found it had  over 1,200 outstanding fire remediation actions, and mitigation failings. LINK

 

Let's face it, despite all the hype about numbers, and the glossy PR, it is the quality of the new housing itself and its management, including repairs, that are undermining the confidence of tenants and leaseholders.