London councils have begun moving homeless families out of a tower block owned by a billionaire property mogul after air conditioning for temporary accommodation flats was turned off as the heatwave hit.
At least two children living in Britannia Point in Colliers Wood, south-west London, were reportedly hospitalised as temperatures in their apartments soared to 37C when the units were manually switched off.
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan earlier this week waded into the row, describing it as “wrong”.
Dozens of families were affected by the move from Aura Asset Management (AAM), which manages their tenancies at the 19-storey glass-fronted tower block.
Criterion Capital, which was set up by billionaire property magnate Asif Aziz, is the freeholder of the building.
The lucrative contracts with London boroughs to house homeless families are managed separately. Some 60 households in emergency accommodation at the block have their tenancy managed by AAM, while others are handled by People First Housing.
While the block is in Merton, the town hall said it has stopped working with Criterion Capital-owned properties after a number of issues, including allegations that some tenants were issued Section 21 eviction notices ahead of new renters rights rules, which the company denies, and lifts regularly breaking down.
A glass pane also plunged from the 12th floor of Britannia Point in June 2022, leaving the local authority with a £3million bill for emergency works that it claims Criterion has not paid back.
Wandsworth Council, which has placed residents in Britannia Point, told the Guardian it was making “immediate” plans to remove them.
Sutton Council said it had stopped placing families in the block and was “working closely” with its remaining residents “to ensure they are able to move to other accommodation”.
Croydon Council said it has raised concerns and was carrying out “welfare checks” with its residents in the tower.
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.”
Tenants 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.”
AAM said 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 some for some residents the AC was still not working while another had seen 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.
“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 37C.
“And we’ve even had reports that two children have been hospitalised.”
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.”
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 had 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.”
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.
