Sadiq Khan has said it is “wrong” that air conditioning in London flats housing homeless families was turned off as the heatwave hit. The Mayor of London waded into the row after at least two children living in Britannia Point, Colliers Wood, south-west London, were reportedly hospitalised as temperatures in their apartments soared to 37C when the units were manually switched off.
Management email told tenants air con switched off
Dozens of families were affected by the move from Aura Asset Management (AAM), which manages their tenancies at the glass-fronted 19-storey tower block owned by Criterion Capital, which was set up by billionaire property magnate and Labour donor Asif Aziz. When a tenant complained to management about the sweltering temperatures in their home, they were sent an email which said that under their tenancy air conditioning “has been switched off” for households in emergency accommodation.
“As part of our arrangements with Aura Assets/People First Housing as the party responsible for flats let on this basis, air conditioning has been switched off for their rented flats in the building,” it read. “Air conditioning has not been offered as an amenity under these arrangements, and the units cannot be switched back on as a result.” They were warned that “air conditioning units, wiring, and controls remain the property of the building owner” and “we ask that you do not attempt to access, tamper with, or reactivate the unit yourself, as this risks equipment damage or an electrical safety hazard, and constitutes interference with equipment that is not yours”.
One resident said: “The windows are fitted with restrictors, so they cannot be opened fully, which makes it very difficult to cool the flats down. I find that as soon as I enter the building, I become much hotter, start feeling sick, and sweat profusely.”
Sadiq Khan compares situation to 'poor doors'
Sir Sadiq said it was “wrong” that social tenants could not use the air conditioning and compared the scandal to “poor doors”, where social tenants were made to use different entrances at some developments. He told the Standard: “One of the things that I did when I first became Mayor is to make sure there were no poor doors when it came to development. This particular situation, where if you're living in social housing, there's almost a sign saying this is for poor people who are deprived communities. We got rid of that because we want people's tenure to be relevant to the quality of accommodation they receive, it should be the best possible. “We're speaking to the council about making sure that people who are enduring this heatwave are able to at least have some amelioration of the heat with air conditioning where it's available. And so I'm hoping the council managed to persuade the landlord, because there is air conditioning available, to allow tenants to use the air conditioning. I can understand if there wasn't air conditioning. We could have a conversation of how we can make sure tenants are kept cool, but there is air conditioning, and so it just seems wrong that tenants can't use it for the simple reason they're social tenants.”
Residents say air con still not working
AAM said on Wednesday that the units were now available to use. But Merton Labour councillor Stuart Neaverson, who has been helping the families in Britannia Point, told the Standard that many residents had said it still not working and some had the temperature capped at 24C. He told the Standard: “We've been contacted with so many residents who've let us know that they've had their air conditioning turned off by the managing. So as the heat wave has struck, they've been left sweltering inside, unable to properly open their windows, unable to get basic ventilation, and so temperatures have been soaring to as high as 37 degrees in there. And we've even had reports of two children have been hospitalised.”
Some 60 families in emergency accommodation at the block have their tenancy managed by AAM, while others are handled by People First Housing. The companies sign lucrative contracts with London boroughs to house homeless households in need of emergency temporary accommodation. Mr Neaverson added: “They never explained why it was turned off in the first place, which seemed to coincide exactly when the first heatwave started. They've now told us it's working, but I've been in the building today and I've met a resident whose air conditioning is still not working. I've also met another resident who told me that the air conditioning has been blocked at 24C and they're unable to change it, so I'm not convinced at all that the air conditioning is working in this building.”
Merton Council is limited in what it can do for the households as all of the families have been placed in Britannia Point by other boroughs. Mr Neaverson said his town hall had stopped working with Criterion Capital properties after a number of issues, including tenants being issued Section 21 eviction notices ahead of new renters rights rules and lifts regularly breaking down. A glass pane also plunged from the 12th floor of Britannia Point in June 2022, leaving Merton Council with a £3million bill for emergency works that the local authority claims Criterion has not paid back.
Aura Asset Management responds
A spokesperson for Aura told the Standard: “We can confirm that the air conditioning systems within all apartments are fully operational, and residents have been advised that they are available for use. In light of the prolonged high temperatures, we have encouraged residents to use the systems sensibly and in accordance with their individual needs, while also being mindful of potential electricity costs. This advice was intended solely to help residents make informed decisions about their energy consumption and should not be interpreted as discouraging the use of air conditioning for their comfort and wellbeing. We recognise that many households in temporary accommodation are experiencing financial pressures, and we take our responsibilities towards them seriously. Our communications have therefore sought to balance residents' comfort with awareness of potential utility costs. At no time have we instructed residents not to use the air conditioning provided. To date, we have not received any reports indicating that a resident has become seriously ill as a result of the recent period of hot weather.” Criterion Capital was contacted for comment.
