A South London mum and her three kids were left living with a sewage leak in their bathroom for 11 months by a council, a Housing Ombudsman report reveals.
A separate council, also in South London, left a resident and her family exposed to potential asbestos for two years. The same local authority failed to restore a tenant’s power in their kitchen for eight months.
The councils were among 16 named and shamed by watchdog, the Housing Ombudsman, in its latest report about safety failings by social landlords, published on Thursday (March 20).
Mum left with sewage on bathroom floor
Lewisham Council was criticised by the Ombudsman for leaving a mum and her three young children with sewage leaking onto their bathroom floor for 11 months. The Labour-run council initially classed the repair as an emergency, but then took months to resolve the problem.
According to the Ombudsman, the longest the repair should have remained unresolved was 20 working days. The tenant told the Ombudsman, her experience left her feeling ‘disregarded’ by the council.
Councillor Will Cooper, Lewisham’s Cabinet Member for Homes, said: “The situation highlighted in this case is unacceptable and I offer an unreserved apology to the resident. Since 2023, we have taken over direct management of our housing service and self-referred to the Social Housing Regulator.
“This has resulted in more repairs completed on time, a reduction in phone waiting times and the repairs waiting list being halved. There is a huge amount more to do and we will continue to work tirelessly for our residents to ensure they receive the quality of service they deserve.”
Family exposed to potential asbestos
A Lambeth Council tenant resorted to covering her collapsed ceiling in bin bags for two years after the council failed to inspect potential asbestos. The Ombudsman report said the property’s ceiling fell in days after the tenant reported a leak to the council. The woman had previously reported issues with the ceiling two months earlier, but no action had been taken.
After the ceiling collapsed, the Ombudsman said there was no evidence the council visited to make it safe or test for the cancer-causing fibre. The Ombudsman added that Lambeth hadn’t shown any proof it considered the tenant or her children’s safety during the episode. The council said it had apologised to the woman, carried out an urgent inspection and asbestos survey and paid her compensation.
Woman left without power in kitchen
Lambeth Council was also criticised by the Ombudsman for leaving a woman without power in her kitchen for eight months and failing to make her home’s electrics safe for four months. When the tenant first told the council she had no power, Lambeth visited on the same day and restored power to all of the house, except the kitchen. But instead of returning to resolve the problem in the kitchen as well, the council delayed arranging another appointment.
In the meantime, the woman had to run an extension lead from elsewhere in her property to the kitchen in order to cook. Despite being aware of the situation, Lambeth didn’t consider offering her an alternative power source or temporarily moving her out of the property. The council said it had apologised to the tenant, fixed the issue and paid her compensation.
A Lambeth Council spokesperson added: “We are tackling a number of issues raised, for example: underlining the importance of timely and effective responses to repair requests, the need for accurate and comprehensive record-keeping to ensure proper tracking and resolution of issues, and the value of proactive measures, such as risk assessments and interim solutions, to mitigate ongoing problems and ensure the safety and wellbeing of residents.”
