The renters stuck in ‘heat trap’ flats during sweltering heatwave: ‘It is unbearable’

Across the UK, households have struggled to adapt to the stifling heat as temperatures reach above 38C. For those living in large social housing accommodation, the situation can become unbearable, with 51 per cent of tenants stating they lack the basic controls to stop their homes from overheating.

Liam Russell, 21, is among those who have been living a “nightmare” this summer, as his third-storey flat in Maidstone, Kent, only has three windows and is warm throughout the year.

In January, a visit from the occupational therapist noted that the heat in the flat was a “major factor” in assessing Mr Russell’s autism and sensory needs, but he claims that this was ignored by the housing provider Hyde.

“It is unbearable even in the winter,” he said. “The flat feels like it has the heating on. The sun comes directly in the bedroom and front room window; there are no windows in the kitchen, bathroom or hallway, so we get no draught through the flat.”

Given that he works night shifts, the heat has prevented him from being able to sleep in the day. Despite complaining about the heat, which is impacting him, his girlfriend and their two dogs, nothing has been done to improve their situation.

Recent research from Citizens Advice found that poorly designed homes are acting like “heat traps”, and that the cost of cooling equipment such as air conditioning is making people feel helpless against the hot weather.

It found that 11 per cent of social renters found their home was uncomfortably warm at all times, causing them physical distress or safety concerns, with some driven to sleeping on balconies or using makeshift solutions like taping damp sheets to windows.

Meanwhile, 30 per cent said they had experienced financial losses or unexpected costs as a result of the hot weather, including higher energy bills from using cooling equipment.

Some 1.59 million children live in homes that get uncomfortably hot, according to NHF and Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH) analysis of the 2023 English Housing Survey.

Lucy*, who rents from a housing association, said: “In summer it gets so hot we feel like we can’t live at all. It’s just horrible from the moment we wake up – boiling everywhere, every day. There’s no way to control the temperature of the house; we’ve been using ice packs, running flannels under cold water for our foreheads, anything.”

It was only after lodging a complaint, after her first two attempts to resolve the situation were ignored, that an engineer was sent to her property, with the loft temperature reaching the high 40s.

“Our housing association is going to install air con units, but I’m really worried about how much it’s going to cost to run them. My dad got us a portable aircon unit to use until then. We only use it during the day and, because of the running costs, we switch to the fan at night. We’re already £40 in debt after one month’s usage.”

In November, the second phase of Awaab’s Law will be rolled out, which covers excessive heat and cold weather, meaning landlords will be legally required to address severe heating issues that endanger health. This follows the death of two-year-old Awaab Ishak, who died after from a respiratory condition caused by prolonged exposure to black mould in his family’s social housing flat, prompting an overhaul of the system.

Research has found that renters living in buildings with old gas-run heat networks are the most likely to overheat due to hot pipework, with 90,000 heat network consumers unable to turn off their central heating even in summer.

Emma Howard Boyd CBE, chair of the National Heat Risk Commission, has said that housing associations really need to understand the challenges they face, especially once Awaab’s Law has been enforced in November.

She noted that during the 2022 heatwave, where temperatures reached 40C, 18 lifts in social housing buildings failed in just one London borough.

“If you are a family with small children or elderly people and the lifts are broken down, and they are however many stories high, you could end up locked or trapped in your flat or really unable to access it during a period of extreme heat.”

Asked if the government had grasped the severity of the UK’s rising temperatures, Ms Boyd said: “I think we’re still looking at this as an emergency response and what the country has failed to do is move this to a national strategic response. I am encouraged that the mayor of London has understood that heat is something that needs to be focused on and launched Heat Ready London as a plan.

A Hyde spokesperson said: “This summer has proven challenging for many families across the UK, as temperatures have reached record highs. Mr Russell and Ms Locke haven’t raised a complaint or concern with us about overheating in the home we provide for them, although we’re aware they raised it with the local authority’s occupational health team, as part of a wider request to be rehoused.

“We don’t control the allocations in the area and, as such, this is something the local authority will be considering when nominating families from its housing waiting list. We’ve explained the process to Mr Russell and Ms Locke and explained how they can access support from the local authority.

“We take all reports of issues in our customers’ homes, including the hazards that will be covered in Awaab’s Law Phase 2 (including overheating), seriously. We’ll contact Mr Russell and Ms Locke to arrange for one of our surveyors to visit them as soon as possible, to see if we can do anything to lower the temperatures they’re experiencing in the current heatwave.”