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Housing Association letters and literal mindedness - a nightmare

Hope

Last week I got a housing association letter about a routine boiler check. In bold it said that thousands of people die each year from carbon monoxide poisoning, and so it is important to have these checks. It said that a fully working boiler would deliver hot water and heating.

The bit about carbon monoxide poisoning scared me because it made me worry that I could die in my sleep from it, but my support worker reassured me. However, today, after a stressful trip to the shops, I found that my taps did not generate any hot water. I started to panic, despite reassurance from my support worker, and got my Dad to come round. Meanwhile my support worker phoned up the housing association to try get the gas people over straightaway, but this was not possible. She was told that we should not touch the boiler until the gas people arrive, which should be tomorrow, but my dad then arrived and, against my explicit command, started to meddle with the boiler box. I got extremely stressed, and ended up shouting at him.

I am still stressed, but am sleeping at my parent's tonight because I do not feel safe sleeping at my flat with no hot water, despite my support worker telling me it is highly unlikely that there is anything wrong with the boiler. I need official reassurance from one of the plumbers. This has happened before, but last time it happened, I was not so stressed because I had not read the letter about carbon monoxide and deaths. Also, my dad had fixed it by pressing some buttons on the boiler box, and it was confirmed as a water pressure issue.

That letter has now generated a new fear. Asperger literalness and misinterpretation is a real hindrance.

Parents

  • Scorpion: I only had my detector installed last week. My housing association were installing them in order to protect their tenants, many of whom are elderly and disabled, and are therefore most at risk of Carbon Monoxide poisoning. You can purchase dectectors quite cheaply, or you could ask your HA for a detector - they should provide them free of charge.

    Carbon Monoxide poisoning is very rare in Housing Association properties because they are highly maintained and are checked annually. You are more at risk if you have very old, unmaintained equipment, or use those portable gas fires that the elderly often use in winter to keep warm.

    Tenants who rent from 'slum landlords' in the private sector are most at risk, particularly if they don't get their equipment checked.

    I have been researching it a bit, and these facts put my mind at rest before I got the detector.

Reply

  • Scorpion: I only had my detector installed last week. My housing association were installing them in order to protect their tenants, many of whom are elderly and disabled, and are therefore most at risk of Carbon Monoxide poisoning. You can purchase dectectors quite cheaply, or you could ask your HA for a detector - they should provide them free of charge.

    Carbon Monoxide poisoning is very rare in Housing Association properties because they are highly maintained and are checked annually. You are more at risk if you have very old, unmaintained equipment, or use those portable gas fires that the elderly often use in winter to keep warm.

    Tenants who rent from 'slum landlords' in the private sector are most at risk, particularly if they don't get their equipment checked.

    I have been researching it a bit, and these facts put my mind at rest before I got the detector.

Children
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