Elderly women were found "freezing" in their sheltered housing over Christmas after their heating broke down.
Olive Thackeray, 74, who suffers from dementia, was discovered shivering on her sofa by a friend visiting her Morden flat on Christmas Day.
Ms Thackeray, of Yenston Close near St Helier station, said: "It's awful to get up in the cold. I put a coat on or go out with something underneath the coat, but I don't have anywhere to go."
Her neighbour Irene Latham, 73, said she was so cold she called the police after housing association Circle Housing Merton Priory (CHMP) failed to respond to her complaints.
She said: "It's been freezing for more than a week. Circle Housing doesn't care. I don't have a family to go to."
Mark Anderson, director of property services at CHMP, said three reports of heating failure were received last week and are being responded to this week.
Mr Anderson said affected residents have been given access to temporary heaters and the cost of powering them will be reimbursed.
Ms Thackeray's friend, a private landlord who did not want to be named, said he first contacted CHMP at the end of December but was told to report to contractors Smith & Byford.
But he said Smith & Byford passed the responsibility back to CHMP.
He said: "As a private landlord myself I would never be able to get away with this. Circle Housing has a warden but they don't care."
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