Lambeth (Parliament Politics Magazine) – Lambeth Council has been named three times in a new Housing Ombudsman report for serious damp and mould failings, sparking fresh criticism of housing standards.
A “severe maladministration” report that was released the same week that Awaab’s Law went into effect listed the South London council.
Two-years-old Awaab Ishak passed away in December 2020 from a respiratory disease brought on by the high situations of mold he’d been exposed to in his family’s Manchester Rochdale Boroughwide Housing (RBH) home. The new law, which went into effect on Monday, October 27, authorizes social casing landlords to make critical repairs and address any suspected earth growth or moistness within a set quantum of time.
A representative for Lambeth Council told the Original Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) that the council has complied with the Housing Ombudsman’s findings, accepted them in full, apologized to the tenants, and compensated them for the vexation and torture they’ve caused.
In one case, the council neglected to conduct a thorough examination of a house for five times, which averted the identification of the underpinning source of the earth and humidity and the completion of necessary repairs. According to the occupant, the house became wettish and moldy as a result of water leaking from the gutters. She observed black and orange mold spreading inside her house about a year later; other homeowners of the street were experiencing similar problems.
In order to determine the cause, the council did not examine the resident’s residence or the larger structure, according to the Housing Ombudsman. Although each repair listed a date of completion, the specific work that the council performed was not specified.
The council then promised to inspect the house, but this didn’t happen for another three months. 18 months after the resident initially reported the state of her home as being in deterioration, the council stated that it had scheduled a second inspection of the house a year later.
The Housing Ombudsman said it seemed the council inspected the home after being told it was investigating the complaint. The Housing Ombudsman said:
“While complaints should not stop works, our involvement should not influence the landlord’s actions.
The inspection never took place as the resident did not grant access. There’s no evidence that the landlord told the resident the appointment was taking place. Our orders in this case resolved the issues for the resident.”
In order to promote efficient complaint handling, the council has implemented procedures to monitor each repair and is also putting in place measures to monitor any actions agreed upon after closed complaints.
The report made a third reference to Lambeth Council because of its poor complaint handling and delay in addressing a damp and mildew problem.
On another occasion, the council did not try to install an extractor fan until a year after it was advised after an inspection, and the resident was left chasing a mold repair for several months.
The Housing Ombudsman said:
“The [council’s] complaint responses did not consider how long the issues had been ongoing. It failed to acknowledge it was aware of the issues for over a year. It did not offer compensation, and the tone of the complaint was not appropriate.”
The council has reportedly reviewed its handling of the repairs mentioned in this case. A Lambeth Council spokesperson told the LDRS:
“Lambeth has more than 33,000 council homes and we are committed to ensuring that all of these are safe and well-maintained for our residents.
When problems arise, we work hard to deal with them quickly and fairly, but we are extremely sorry that the service provided to these residents did not meet our usual high standards.”
Which specific failures did the Ombudsman find against Lambeth?
Lengthy Detainments in repairing damp and mould issues, indeed after reprise complaints and reports from residents, including vulnerable families with children affected by disinclinations and health problems caused by mould exposure. Poor complaint handling characterized by failure to respond adequately, significant detainments, lack of empathy for residents’ suffering, and poor communication throughout the process.
shy record- keeping and case operation, leading to repeated failures to track form requirements and complaint judgments duly. Failure to misbehave with its own casing programs and legal liabilities, including breaches of Awaab’s Law, which authorizes timely action on damp and mould.
Cases where residents were left in unsafe living conditions, similar as being without heating and hot water in downtime, boarded-up windows, and living with patient health pitfalls due to damp.
