South Kilburn pensioner's heating back on after 44 days and 17 appointments

Pensioner John H's heating was finally repaired today. From Day 1 the 24th November, 2025 until today the 6th January 2026 the heating was down for 44 days. There were a total of 17 appointments arranged with SureServe of which four were attended and 13 missed.

John is a disabled  tenant of Octavia Housing at Bannister House South Kilburn.

Cllr Fleur Donnelly-Jackson commented on Wembey Matters today:  'The repair has been completed today after continued advocacy by the council's housing partnerships team. The support to the resident is ongoing. 

The saga isn't quite over. John told Wembley Matters this evening: 

All my heating is back on.

However, I now need another repair appointment to fix all the damage caused by SureServe today, including disconnecting my heating meter, which shows how much credit I have left and leaving some of my pipework exposed.

I asked Octavia to carry out the repair but they say it's not their responsibility and it's up to me to arrange the appointment with Insite Energy, who provide my heating.

 

UPDATE IN COMMENTS AS TEMPERATURE DROPS: Still no heating repair for South Kilburn disabled pensioner. Unsuitable hotel room offered.

I regret that the story first published before Christmas about the disabled pensioner in South Kilburn left without central heating for weeks LINK continued over the holiday. This is despite the intervention of a Kilburn councillor and the Cabinet Lead for Housing.

Today heating contractors for Octavia made their 15th visit but, 'The Sureserve engineer was unable to restore my heating, as he needs to call on the assistance of other SureServe operatives, including an electrician to carry out the repair.'

John H was unable to accept Octavia's offer of a Premier Inn hotel room as, 'It does not provide any disability aids and  adaptations. For example I need a wet room with support railings around the shower and toilet.'

With cold weather forecast for the weekend this is absolutely unacceptable and makes a mockery of Awaab's Law.

 

Regulator finds 'serious failings' in Octavia Housing's health and safety responsibilities. The Housing Association has over 1,200 outstanding fire remediation actions, and mitigation failings

The fire at Petworth Court (Credit: London Fire Brigade)
 

Octavia Housing hit national headlines in January 2024 when Petworth Court, Elm Road, Wembley Central. It emerged that Barry Gardiner, MP, had repeatedly raised concersn about the block with Octavia with little response. The Fire Brigades Union warned of 'criminal complacency' on the part of the then government and some building firms regarding cladding.

Now the Regulator of Social Housing has issued a Regulator Judgement on Octavia Housing:

The Safety and Quality Standard requires landlords to have an accurate, up to date and evidenced understanding of the condition of their homes that reliably informs their provision of good quality, well maintained and safe homes for tenants. It also requires landlords to identify and meet all legal requirements that relate to the health and safety of tenants in their homes and communal areas, and that all required actions arising from legally required health and safety assessments are carried out within appropriate timescales.

Following a serious fire at one of its properties in January 2024 and wider review of its landlord health and safety compliance, Octavia made a self-referral to us in respect of fire, electrical and gas safety. Having sought further information including assurances on other areas of building safety, we have concluded that there are serious failings in the oversight, management, and delivery in several areas of Octavia’s landlord health and safety responsibilities.

London Fire Brigade has issued Notifications of Fire Safety Deficiencies in respect of 13 of Octavia’s buildings since May 2023. Octavia currently has over 1,200 overdue fire safety remedial actions categorised as either high or medium priority and has failed to take sufficient steps to mitigate the potential risks to tenants identified.

Octavia was unable to provide sufficient assurance that it meets other landlord health and safety requirements. Octavia has failed to hold complete and accurate records to confirm where health and safety inspections are required, whether they had been carried out within legally required or recommended timescales, and whether smoke and carbon monoxide detectors are installed as legally required.

Octavia has been proactive in engaging external support, increasing staff resource, and creating improvement plans to increase its oversight of its health and safety compliance. It is currently undertaking investigations to identify and address gaps in its records, develop an effective programme of health and safety assessments and confirm the full extent of remedial actions required to meet all legal requirements.

Octavia has reported that it recognises that it can deliver its purpose more effectively by joining another landlord and following the September 2023 Regulatory Judgement has been progressing the work needed to achieve this. Ahead of this being delivered Octavia has been able to draw on significant support from its preferred partner landlord to deliver the improvements required.

Our engagement with Octavia will continue to be intensive. We will seek evidence that gives us assurance that Octavia is making sufficient progress on its investigations and delivery of its improvement programme so that it is meeting its health and safety legal requirements and delivering the outcomes of our standards. We are not proposing to use our enforcement powers at this stage but will keep this under review as Octavia seeks to resolve these issues. Our priority will be that risks to tenants are adequately managed and mitigated.

 The housing provider that Octavia was engaged in partnership talks with is Abri that itself has been subjected to a finding of severe maladminstration in two cases by the Housing Ombudsman.  This caused Michael Gove, the then Secretary of State to write in December 2023:

In one case, you left one of your residents with faulty windows for almost five years, with the resident waiting up to a year to hear from you on multiple occasions. They were left with a cold property in the winter and issues with insects during the summer. I am disappointed to learn that these issues became so severe that she was forced to leave the property.

In the second case, you failed to deal with a complaint about damp and mould from a vulnerable resident with a heart condition and who is registered blind. You carried out the same ineffective repairs year after year, and failed to address the root causes, leaving your vulnerable resident living in poor conditions for far too long.

When your residents report an issue, and especially when vulnerable people are involved, it must be acted upon swiftly and effectively. The tragic death of Awaab Ishak has shown that we must not be complacent about issues that risk residents’ health.

I understand you have addressed all the orders and recommendations made by the Ombudsman, including overhauling your approach, processes and policies regarding damp and mould. I expect the changes to make a significant difference to the service you deliver to your residents.

Octavia Housing update on Wembley fire at Petworth Court, Elm Road

 On Monday 29 January 2024, a fire broke out at Petworth Court on Elm Road, Wembley. The London Fire Brigade attended quickly and the fire was extinguished in the early hours of Tuesday 30 January 2024. All residents at Petworth Court were evacuated safely and we are glad that no injuries have been reported. The surrounding blocks were also evacuated.

The Fire Brigade is currently investigating the cause of the fire and we will continue to work with them during their investigation.

Fire safety at Petworth Court

The safety of our residents is our number one priority. Since 2020, Petworth Court, and the surrounding blocks, have had robust safety measures in place in the event of a fire. These measures include a fire marshall who patrols the blocks regularly, upgraded fire alarms and CCTV. We are pleased that these measures worked effectively, ensuring that alarms were raised quickly and all residents were evacuated safely.

Supporting our residents

Octavia staff have been on site with Brent Council’s Emergency Response team since the fire broke out, to support residents that have been affected. All evacuated residents were provided with emergency accommodation where needed and financial support has been offered to those who need to buy essential items and food. We have continued to contact all residents to check on their wellbeing.

Following safety checks by the Fire Brigade and Octavia, residents of Goodwood Court, Sandringham Court and Kensington Court should be able to return home within the next few days. We will continue to support these residents should they have any questions or concerns.

Residents at Petworth Court, Woburn Court and Hatfield Court, will continue to be updated, and supported with alternative accommodation and access to services, wellbeing support and essential items until they are able to return to their home safely.

We understand this is a difficult time for residents. Any resident who would like to speak to us should contact us on 020 8354 5500 or contact their Housing Lead:

Fire union warns of “criminal complacency” after Wembley cladding fire,. Barry Gardiner slams building manager Octavia

 

Yesterday's fire in Elm Road, Wembley Central

 

 From the Fire Brigades Union

 

At least 125 firefighters and 20 fire engines were called to a cladding fire in Wembley yesterday, 29 January.

Matt Wrack, Fire Brigades Union general secretary, said: 

 

Firefighters have once again been called to cladding fire which could have resulted in tragedy. 

 

The Fire Brigades Union warned of the risks of flammable cladding many years before the terrible Grenfell Tower fire. Decades of deregulation have created unnecessary risks to residents and firefighters, and put homes and lives at risk.

 

Government ministers and building companies have been criminally complacent. We will continue to demand justice for the victims of this situation, and urgent action to ensure that buildings are safe.

 

Meanwhile speaking to the Kilburn Times LINK, Barry Gardiner MP for Brent North, slammed Octavia Housing who manage the block:

Our worst fears have happened. The nightmare that residents have been living with has become a reality.

Octavia Housing, who manage the block, were repeatedly warned this could happen. Yet they sat on their hands and did nothing.  This will be traumatic for all the residents who live in Elm Road. 

 Six years on from Grenfell, three years on from being advised the cladding was unsafe, Octavia has done nothing to remove the cladding or even make any attempt to advise residents trapped in their small flats when the work would commence or who would pay for it. 

Octavia responded to me in December and said they were unable to share any information on the fire safety reports on the advice of their solicitors

On Twitter Peter Apps commented:

Note:

Brent Council have a statutory duty to publish a safety case report for all the 41 buildings in scope of the Fire Safety Act by the 6th April 2024.

 

UPDATE: 20 Fire Engines called to blaze in block of flats in Elm Road, Wembley (parallel with Wembley High Road). Shelter at St John the Evangelist Crawford Avenue

 

 Credit BBC, EmmaL

From BBC and London Fire Brigade,

About 125 firefighters are tackling a blaze at a block of flats in north-west London.

Twenty fire engines were called out to Elm Road, Wembley, on Monday evening.

Video from the scene showed fire spreading between flats, while a firefighter on an aerial ladder sprayed water over the building.

Firefighters from Wembley, Park Royal, Northolt and surrounding fire stations were called to the scene, London Fire Brigade (LFB) said.

It said there were no reports of any injuries but part of the building's roof was alight, and urged people to avoid the area.

The block and surrounding buildings were evacuated as a precautionary measure, and a 105ft (32m) turntable ladder is being used as a water tower to help extinguish the fire.

LFB initially sent 10 engines and 70 firefighters just after 16:40 GMT. 

The fire was under control by 10pm.

It said the cause of the blaze was not yet known.

 

Brent Council this evening said via X:

 

The building and surrounding buildings have been evacuated as a precautionary measure. Shelter is being provided at St John the Evangelist Church, 3 Crawford Avenue, Wembley HA0 2HX.

 

The building and surrounding buildings have been evacuated as a precautionary measure. Shelter is being provided at St John the Evangelist Church, 3 Crawford Avenue, Wembley HA0 2HX.

 

On Next Door a local resident said re the church, 'Yeh, Yeh not good, Been there. Done that. Not great.' 

She went on, 'Most of us are at Weatherspoons having food and drink paid for by Octavia, and the block affected have gone to Travel Lodge to stay over for the night.'

Nevertheless, all credit to the church for acting quickly to give a safe space to those caught up in the event.

 

Meanwhile Chandresh Varsani tweeted this to Wembley Matters and others:

 

 

 

Elizabeth House residents told to Evacuate rather than Stay Put in the event of fire

Octavia Housing have updated residents in Elizabeth House, Wembley, on fire precautions at their building.

The most important change, especially in the light of Grenfell, is that they should evacuate in the event of a fire rather than stay put:

CURRENT SITUATION – A CHANGE IN EVACUATION POLICY

On Wednesday 11 October the Fire Brigade visited the building because they have recently reviewed their national approach to buildings that have Aluminium Composite Material (ACM) cladding.

They asked for an updated Fire Risk Assessment in light of their new guidance and we are in the process of collecting the information they now need but in the meantime, as a short term measure, the fire evacuation policy has been changed.

In the event of a fire, residents should leave the building immediately. This is a change from the Stay Put policy that was in place.

While we have been told that this may only be a temporary change, we have visited Elizabeth House to speak to residents and you will have seen letters and posters informing you about this change. We have also increased the numbers of 24/7 fire watch wardens in place. The cost of these additional measures will not be passed on to residents. We are also looking at longer term solutions which may include increased CCTV.

We want to reassure you that we will continue to act upon all advice from the London Fire Brigade or our experts and we will keep you informed.

CLADDING WORKS UPDATE

An approach to replacing the cladding has been agreed with the contractor.

The replacement system needs to be tested in full by the Building Research Establishment (who have been responsible for doing the testing of cladding that has been going on all over the UK over the last few months) before we can start the job of replacing cladding over all the building.

There are a lot of buildings that are affected all over the UK and so there is a wait for tests but in the meantime, we can start a small pilot project to replace cladding at ground floor level and on the communal terraces situated on the ground, 2nd and 10th floors. This will speed up the process for works on the rest of the building when we get the necessary approvals.

Preparation work will be happening from October 2017 to do further tests. We plan to start pilot works in January 2018 and we expect that the rest of the works will start in May/June 2018. These dates may change depending on how quickly the required tests can be done.

VISITS TO PROPERTIES

Following advice received from the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) we need to visit every property in Elizabeth House and carry out an inspection. This will enable us to:

•   Check resident’s’ ability to evacuate the building independently so that we can inform the Fire Brigade if anyone will need extra assistance. 


•   Check balconies and flat entrance doors to ensure they are safe and free from fire hazards and flammable materials 


•   Ensure all residents know how to check their smoke and heat alarms
These visits will begin the week commencing 16 October and will take between 15-30 
minutes. 
If you would like us to visit you at a particular time, please let us know by emailing enquiries@octavia.org.uk or calling our Customer Contact Team on 020 8354 5500. In order to manage the visits, please let us know by 5pm on Friday 20 October. 
It is vital that we are able to gain access to your property to carry out these important checks. 
If you are not at home when we visit and would prefer to arrange a convenient time for us to visit again, please contact our Customer Contact Team on 020 8354 5500 or enquiries@octavia.org.uk. 


UPDATED: Octavia clarify safety situation regarding Elizabeth House in Wembley

Octavia Housing has clarified the situation regarding the safety of Elizabeth House in Wembley High Road. This is the block referred to in many press reports as the one affected block in the London Borough of Brent.

The 120 foot high block of 115 apartments over 12 floors was built by Willmott Dixon who are responsible for many new builds in Brent.

The London Fire Brigade has told Octavia that they see no immediate or urgent concern over Elizabeth House.  Octavia, who met with residents yesterday, state there is no immediate need for removal of the building's cladding or evacuation of residents.  If it is decided to remove the cladding this may take a matter of months.  They will be keeping in close touch with residents and will keep them advised of any change in the situation.

A statement issued yesterday by Noel Brosnan, Octavia's Asset Management Director:

We were assured, and have since been reassured, that Elizabeth House meets all of the building regulations in place at the time. It has a variety of safety features including sprinklers in all flats and at the point of handover from the contractors, we also had a fire strategy drawn up, which the London Fire Brigade (LFB) had input into and final sign-off on.

Since hearing the news that some of the cladding used at Elizabeth House did not meet the highest standards set by the Building Research Establishment (BRE), we have followed all the procedures set out by the Department of Communities and Local Government. Our staff have been on site throughout the day and we have arranged 24//7 patrols to reassure residents. 

We have had an independent fire assessor visit the site and confirm that no immediate action is required. The London Fire Brigade have also visited the site and have confirmed that they have a good impression of the building and stated it was very well managed and so he can see no need to immediate or urgent concern. Residents should be reassured that we are doing, and will continue to do everything necessary to ensure their safety.

To date, we have been given no advice from external authorities, nor have our own inspections highlighted any urgent or high priority issues that require immediate action. We will continue to keep in contact with the relevant authorities and our residents and will take action necessary to ensure safety. 

To reiterate, we are surprised and dismayed and will be looking into this situation further over the coming days. Our number one priority remains the safety of our residents who we are sending regular updates to. We had a meeting with residents on site this evening.

Meanwhile Brent Council leader Muhummed Butt was reported by Sky News LINK with a not very illuminating statement:

Brent Council leader Muhammed Butt told Sky News the high-rise block in his area that failed the Government's fire safety test has been checked by the fire service and evacuation was not deemed necessary.

This is the letter Octavia House wrote to residents of Elizabeth House:

-->

26 June 2017 Update at 9.00

Dear Residents

Following the decision from Camden Council to evacuate residents from several blocks over concerns of fire safety over the weekend, we wanted to reassure you of the situation at Elizabeth House.

As many of you will know, on the evening of Friday 23 June, I attended a resident meeting at Elizabeth House, along with a representative from the London Fire Brigade (LFB) who confirmed that he had conducted a full building assessment. He gave very clear confirmation that because of the various safety features of Elizabeth House, our management and fire strategies in place, no immediate action is required. This means that it is safe for you to remain in your homes and no immediate removal of cladding is necessary. This has been backed up by a separate independent Fire Assessor and our own reviews.

Camden Council chose to evacuate residents in some buildings because, ignoring the fact that the cladding used is made of Aluminium Composite Material (ACM), other major fire safety failings were also found. This is NOT the case at Elizabeth House.

We are already investigating how we can swiftly replace the existing cladding with a proper and managed replacement programme, which will take some time.

We are keeping in close contact with the London Fire Brigade and are following all the guidance issued by the Department of Communities and Local Government (DCLG) to ensure that all possible safety precautions are being taken. We are also continuing the 24/7 patrols of Elizabeth House for your added reassurance.

If any further updates or action are required, we will update you as soon as we are made aware.

If you have any concerns, please call us on 020 8354 5500 or check the website www.octaviahousing.org.uk for further information.

Finally, at the meeting on Friday some residents asked to see the response sent in answer to the questions set out in a letter from Barry Gardiner MP to Octavia on 22 June, which I have attached as promised.

Kind regards
Noel Brosnan
Director of Asset Management

 Below is their letter to Barry Gardiner, MP for Brent North: