Redbridge Council has apologised and paid £3,000 to a mother-of-four who was left in ‘unsuitable accommodation’ for almost two years.
The resident – identified only as Miss X – was owed a housing duty by the council, which is legally required to provide accommodation for people at risk of homelessness.
She was moved into a home in April 2022, along with her husband and children, two of whom have unspecified medical needs.
The council agreed with Miss X in October that it did not meet her needs, but did not find her an alternative until January 2024. The family accepted an offer to move into a new property in March, but issues with the building meant they were forced to stay put until June.
Miss X first complained to the government’s independent Housing Ombudsman in September 2023, which ordered Redbridge to pay £1,650 to acknowledge her home was unsuitable.
The council was then told to provide the family with £150 each month, from October 2023, until it made an offer of more appropriate housing.
The ombudsman’s report, published earlier this month, did not explain how exactly the house fell short of the family’s needs, or what their needs were.
A Redbridge spokesperson said the council was “sincerely” sorry the house had not met Miss X’s needs.
He said there was a shortage of social housing in the borough – and across London – and that meant relying on temporary accommodation to “ensure those most in need have a roof over their head while longer-term housing is sought”.
He added: “We do our best to ensure this accommodation is suitable and meets the needs of all those living in it, and we will continue to work alongside the Social Care Ombudsman and follow the recommendations they set out.”
In its report, the ombudsman said: “We are mindful of the difficulties in procuring housing in London and nationally. But the law says temporary accommodation must be suitable, the duty to provide suitable accommodation is immediate and cannot be deferred.”
The council stopped paying the monthly fee to Miss X’s family in April, one month after the unmet move-in date. However, the delay meant they were still owed compensation, the ombudsman said.
On top of the £2,700 already paid, Redbridge was told to shell out a further £300 to the family to make up for those extra two months. The ordeal had caused the family “uncertainty and distress,” Miss X claimed.
In recent months, at-risk people in Redbridge have reportedly been relocated to towns as far away as Telford, in Shropshire, due to the shortage of available properties.
In March, councillors backed then-deputy leader Kam Rai’s plans for the authority to buy homes in the borough to boost its housing stock.
Councils across London often have to rely on hotels or bed-and-breakfasts to house at-risk people, which comes at an enormous cost.
