Families to no longer be housed in billionaire-owned tower after suffering without air con

Britannia Point tenant Sabrina Walters with her one-year-old daughter Cal-Lisa. Walters fears for her children’s wellbeing in the heat. Photograph: Christian Sinibaldi/The GuardianView image in fullscreenBritannia Point tenant Sabrina Walters with her one-year-old daughter Cal-Lisa.

Walters fears for her children’s wellbeing in the heat. Photograph: Christian Sinibaldi/The GuardianFamilies to no longer be housed in billionaire-owned tower after suffering without air conSome residents in glass-fronted block say they are still ‘fighting to stay cool’ in Britannia Point in south-west LondonAs the fourth heatwave of the year hit the UK on Wednesday, Benice Bodah and her three teenage sons braced for more scorching temperatures inside their south-west London home. The two-bedroom flat is equipped with a built-in air-conditioning unit, but it has only been working intermittently in the almost three years since the family were placed in temporary accommodation at Britannia Point in Colliers Wood.

“It has not been easy, but what can we do?” said Bodah, 48.Several councils have now agreed to stop housing families in emergency accommodation in the glass-fronted block after the Guardian revealed they were told they couldn’t use the built-in air-conditioning during heatwaves as it had “not been offered as an amenity” for them.

The 19-storey building is owned by Criterion Capital, set up by the billionaire property magnate Asif Aziz. The temporary tenancies can last from weeks to years and are managed separately by letting agencies, including London-based Aura Assets Management.View image in fullscreenBritannia Point resident Benice Bodah says the air con in her flat has not always worked reliably.

Photograph: Christian Sinibaldi/The GuardianWandsworth council, which has placed residents in the block, is now making “immediate” plans to remove their tenants from the tower. A Wandsworth council spokesperson said: “As ever, the welfare of residents is our priority and we are working at pace to ensure suitable alternative accommodation is available.”Sutton council said it had already stopped placing people there, and was “working closely with all remaining Sutton residents in the building to ensure they are able to move to other accommodation”.

Croydon council said it faced very high demand for temporary accommodation, and was not removing people, but had raised concerns with Criterion and that council staff had been carrying out “welfare checks” with those in the block.Stuart Neaverson, a Labour councillor in Merton who has been assisting residents, has called on other councils which have placed residents in the building to follow suit. “Criterion Capital, who own the building and the air conditioning units, need to explain how this could ever happen and why some residents are still going without while temperatures hit 35C,” he said.

View image in fullscreenThe Labour councillor Stuart Neaverson says the building’s owners should do more to help residents during the hot weather. Photograph: Christian Sinibaldi/The GuardianA spokesperson for Criterion Capital said: “As the freeholder, we engage with our leaseholders and encourage them to work with local authorities to support tenants in these unprecedented circumstances.” Aura Assets Management has been approached for comment.

Since the Guardian reported that temporary accommodation households were prohibited from using in-built air conditioning, some have been receiving letters saying they could “feel free to use” it if it was working, at a cost of between £35 and £50 each month. However, some tenants are still without working units and others have said the additional charge is unaffordable.By Wednesday evening, the unit in Bodah’s flat was working, but she said she has no choice but to keep it switched off because she cannot afford the extra cost.

Several temporary residents with tenancies managed by Aura told the Guardian on Wednesday that repeated complaints over inoperative air conditioning units have been left unresolved, in some cases, for more than a year.One tenant, Mahad Maalin, who is living with his 81-year-old mother, had given up on the air conditioning unit after the issue was not resolved last summer. Like Bodah, he said he would not pay the cost of running it for the remaining month of summer, and instead has two fans and keeps the blinds drawn.

Another tenant, Sabrina Walters, raised concerns over her children’s health as her one-year-old daughter was overheating and her 12-year-old suffered cluster nose bleeds, which can be caused by overheating.View image in fullscreenSabrina Walters will soon be moving out of the Britannia Point building. Photograph: Christian Sinibaldi/The Guardian“I’m not fussed about myself, but when it comes to my child’s health, especially at that age: she’s one year old, she didn’t ask to be over-dehydrated,” said Walters.

“She’s clammy, so you can tell it’s her body fighting to keep cool. That really pissed me off.”The family escaped