Bury St Edmunds tenant of The Maltings off Mildenhall Road voices frustrations over ongoing boiler problems

A resident has voiced frustrations over ongoing boiler issues which at times has left tenants without heating and hot water at a block of flats in Bury St Edmunds.

Pat Stewart, who has been a resident of The Maltings off Mildenhall Road for a decade, has said tenants are often left without hot water and heating and that one side of the building is significantly warmer due to the heat emitted from the boiler.

He said: “Half the time we have no hot water or heating. It’s an absolute joke – I’ve had enough of it and a lot of people here have as well.

“If a smoke alarm goes off we have to call the fire service to turn the alarm off which turns off all the heating and water until the next day.”

He added that tenants had no hot water and heating for a period during the pandemic.

Mr Stewart received a letter from Havebury Housing Partnership telling tenants that works to rebalance the building’s heating system would begin on Monday and they would be notified closer to the time of further works to install a ventilation system to the plant room.

Tenants were told that the housing association’s contractors Aaron Services will inspect boilers on Monday to ensure they are working correctly.

Although Mr Stewart stays at his girlfriend’s house, he is worried about elderly and vulnerable residents.

“I feel depressed. My neighbour, she’s 74, she’s depressed too.

“One side is like a sauna because of the heat from the boilers.”

The letter added that the ventilation works would take approximately 10 working days and that boilers would need to be turned off everyday from 8am to 6pm. Havebury said it would notify tenants 14 days before works are due to start.

It also said that tenants could book guest rooms with ensuite bathrooms to use the facilities during the time of the works.

Mr Stewart added that tenants’ rent had gone up by £50 a week and he is worried the works could cause the rent to increase again.

A spokesperson for Havebury Housing Partnership said: “We know there have been ongoing boiler and heating issues at The Maltings, and we understand the frustration this has caused our residents.

“We’ve been investigating how we can resolve this, and kept our residents updated throughout this process.

“We are working with our contractors and specialist consultants to optimise the functionality of the heating system.

“Initial works to balance the heating system will start on July 17. Improving the boiler room's ventilation should take approximately ten working days, and we'll contact our residents to let them know when they can expect these works to begin.”

Staff from the housing association will be having a meeting with residents today from 4pm to 6.30pm to answer any questions.