Margaret Cartwright, 66, from Forest Gate was the 500th person to have their life changed after we updated her home. Now she is warm, proud and saving money.

Margaret is pleased with the new kitchen that we fitted at the end of last year. But it is her new boiler and bathroom that has made the most difference to her life. “We needed the shower as there are three women living in the house and there was just a bath. The shower is good because everyone washes their hair every day — we used to have to use a jug! Bathing is so much easier for me now. I’ve got arthritis and couldn’t get in and out of the bath. It’s much more convenient now with the shower.

It’s a real time-saver as we had to keep putting on the immersion heater. It must save us a fortune on hot water. I now put less on the electric card than I do on the gas, so I’m saving lots of money! The new boiler is very good, as the old one was unpredictable. Sometimes it was cold and uncomfortable in our bedrooms. It’s nice and warm now.

The workmen were nice and worked really hard. They removed the immersion heater, which has given us an extra cupboard. They rewired everything and even put in energy-saving light bulbs.

I got to pick the kitchen unit style and colour that I liked and even the tiles and flooring. Everyone has different tastes. I think it all looks so nice, I feel proud of my property now.”

We have now refurbished well over 500 homes up to the ‘Decent Homes Standard’. We will make sure that all 900 homes meet this standard as soon as possible.