Frustrated residents who are left without hot water regularly for weeks at a time have spoken of their despair.

Tenants of Bayside apartments in Worthing say there “isn’t a month” the hot water does not fail at the block of flats in Merton Road and that it has been happening ever since they moved in two years ago.

They have criticised housing association Worthing Homes and managing agents Chanctonbury Estates for their lack of action and communication over the issue which is believed to have been caused by grit inside the boiler causing the system’s heat interface units to shut down.

One resident, who wanted to remain anonymous, said he had asked Worthing Homes to provide his family with temporary accommodation during instances of the boiler breaking.

He has a young daughter with special educational needs.

He said some residents had been put up elsewhere, but he was not offered anything.

“It’s the luck of the draw if you’re going to have hot water,” he said.

“It’s not acceptable.”

Another resident, who also wanted to remain anonymous, said she had been left without hot water for four weeks at one point and that she has never received a reply from Worthing Homes to her complaints.

“Every time the water goes I burst into tears,” she said.

Her son also has educational needs and water has a calming effect on him.

Residents said there is a disparity with how complaints are handled and that staff dealing with tenants are “obnoxious, rude and aggressive” and that residents’ concerns are not followed up.

They said they were delighted when they were first offered the social homes and were promised high spec flats but since moving in “everything has gone wrong”.

They say they have faced other issues with Worthing Homes such as extra charges for facilities they have no access to, including the upkeep of the swimming pool in the private flat complex next door.

They said they feel “segregated” from the other flats and that they are not treated equally.

Worthing Homes said residents at Bayside are “only charged for the facilities they benefit from”.

Resident Dave Power said the underfloor heating had never worked in the flats and that it had taken months for one of his windows to be fixed.

He said when he chased Worthing Homes about the repair he was told “don’t be like that it’s just a window”.

The 54-year-old has had to take time off work due to the recurring problems with the boiler.

“We’ve given them chance after chance to rectify the problems they can easily fix,” residents said.

“They’re leaving families for weeks without water.

“All they care about is money.

“We’re being treated like rubbish.”

A spokeswoman from Worthing Homes said they had been aware of an “ongoing and intermittent problem” with the heating system since 2022.

She said there have been “numerous attempts” to fix the issues, “which are complex and not attributable to only one cause” and that the association and Chanctonbury Estates are working to find a “permanent solution”.

“We have responded to different reports of failure and subsequent complaints based on the individual’s circumstances at the time,” she said.

“We and Chanctonbury Estates are currently in the process of commissioning independent experts to assess the communal heating system along with the HIUs in our tenants’ homes. The original installation contractor is also currently in the process of adapting the design of the system to improve the reliability.

“We are determined to find a solution to the problems, so that our residents and their families can enjoy living in their new homes.

“Colleagues at Worthing Homes are committed to providing a responsive and supportive customer service to all of our residents and we can only apologise for any service failures our customers have experienced. We always endeavour to treat all customers with the upmost respect.”