Concerns have been raised over a housing association’s decision to sell off two empty social homes in Camberwell. The two one-bedroom flats, which are owned by Industrial Dwellings Society (IDS) and are located at Evelina Mansions on New Church Road, have been put up for private sale for £325,000 each.
Evelina Mansions was built in 1901 and consists of 72 one and two-bed flats. During World War Two, its basement was used as an air raid shelter, measuring 20 feet long and six feet high.
In a letter addressed to residents living at Evelina Mansions and neighbouring Leslie Prince Court on March 4, IDS said selling off empty properties offers “the best financial return” to complete improvement plans on other homes.
In the same letter, residents were told their own tenancy or home won’t be directly affected by the sales – though they were also told it was an opportunity to buy their current homes if they wanted to.
IDS owns and manages around 1,500 properties across London, Canvey Island and Hertsmere and was set up in 1885 by a group of Jewish philanthropists who wanted to relieve overcrowding in homes in the East End of London.
An IDS spokesperson told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS): “We fully appreciate the concerns residents have regarding the sale of the empty properties at Evelina Mansions as part of our investment planning.
“As a social landlord, we have to balance our legal and regulatory requirements for resident safety while also maintaining homes to a decent standard for the long term.”
However concerns have been raised over the loss of social housing amid London’s housing crisis, and particularly because Camberwell is one of the most gentrified neighbourhoods in the capital. According to research published by Trust for London in 2025, Camberwell Green is the sixth most gentrified area in the city out of a total of 53 London neighbourhoods.
Meanwhile there are more than 21,000 households who are on Southwark Council’s social housing waiting list, which means one in six households in Southwark are waiting for a council home.
Elizabeth Wyatt, from Housing Action Southwark and Lambeth (HASL), said: “London is facing an extreme homeless emergency. Southwark needs more social housing, not less. So it is absolutely devastating to hear that some of Southwark’s precious social homes are being sold-off by a housing association.
“The sell-off of social homes goes against everything that social landlords are supposed to stand for. It is unethical and immoral.”
Ms Wyatt added: “We understand that IDS are saying these sell-offs are needed in order to maintain and repair current stock, but the safety of social tenants should never come at the expense of homeless families and others in housing need on the housing waiting list, which will include IDS tenants as well.
“This is a deeply harmful and divisive funding model. We will never let landlords, the government, or anyone pit homeless families against social tenants.”
An Evelina Mansions tenant and HASL member who didn’t want to be named, said there was “no justification” to sell off the social homes, and raised concerns over future problems that could arise between tenants, IDS and private landlords.
They said: “As well as the most pressing issue, which is the loss of desperately needed social housing, this sell-off has other serious practical problems as well for both tenants and the social landlord.
“If there is a leak or other disrepair issue stemming from a private flat into a social rented flat, then getting the disrepair issues resolved can be more difficult, especially if the private landlord is refusing to do repairs [as is usually the case].”
They added: “From a personal perspective, this new model also makes me more hesitant about reporting disrepair as now I know that any disrepair costs will be used as an excuse to sell-off our homes.
“With the massive disrepair crisis in social homes, introducing policies which make tenants less likely to report disrepair is the last thing that housing associations should be doing. If I report black mould in my flat, our housing association will keep selling off social homes to meet the bill, and my friend will be stuck in temporary accommodation for even longer.”
An IDS spokesperson said: “While selling a social home is a difficult decision, it allows us to balance immediate investment needs, particularly around safety and regulatory compliance, with securing our long-term future, so we can continue to provide the homes that are so desperately needed.
“We fully support government investment in social housing and always welcome further funding. We want to be able to create more social homes once we have addressed our current investment priorities.”
The spokesperson said they already manage many mixed tenure blocks and are in regular contact with residents at Evelina Mansions. They said they would always encourage residents to report disrepair, and take all reports, especially those concerning damp and mould, seriously.
They added: “We’d continue to encourage any resident with an outstanding repair issue to contact us immediately so we can investigate and deal with the issue quickly.”
