Council investigated over 'repeated' housing failings

Lewisham Council is to be investigated by the Housing Ombudsman over "repeated failings" with in its housing services.

The ombudsman, which deals with complaints about social housing providers, said it had found failings in 85% of housing complaints about the south-east London authority in the last 12 months.

It said failings were found in 90% of cases related to leaks, damp and mould, and there were 16 "serious failings" in how the borough council dealt with housing issues in the past year.

Labour-run Lewisham Council welcomed the investigation and said it was making improvements to its housing service.

Melesia Howard said her own experience of being a council tenant in Lewisham was like "living in a horror film".

The mother of two was first placed on the housing list 15 years ago, while pregnant with her son.

Ms Howard described how along with her children, she was moved like a "nomad" over the years, staying at different hostels, various temporary accommodation options and properties which Ms Howard described as being in "disrepair".

She explained how one property had mould which contaminated all the clothes in their wardrobe.

"One day I went in and the clothes were soaked and when I took it out, all the clothes were black," she said.

In another property, she said she discovered mice inside the cupboards.

Ms Howard said the conditions caused the family to suffer physical and mental health problems, with a GP later diagnosing her and her children with post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

"They have made my life really, really bad," she told the BBC.

"I feel like I’m living in a horror film. They’ve ruined my life to the point where at one point I felt suicidal."

The ombudsman said its investigation would allow it to establish if the faults found in the complaints were a sign of wider failings by the council.

Depending on the outcome of the investigation, the Housing Ombudsman has the power to order the council to improve specific policies and practices, or it can carry out further scrutiny to identify the root cause of a particular issue.

Richard Blakeway, from the ombudsman, said there had been concerns about "repeated failings" the council had made "for several months".

He said the ombudsman had given the council "the opportunity to address some of these issues", and the investigation would involve engaging with the local authority and its residents "about some of the issues" identified.

The findings of the initial investigation will be shared with the Regulator of Social Housing.

Lewisham Council had referred itself to the regulator in December, over concerns about the state of its housing stock.

The authority said at the time 17% of its homes did not meet the minimum standard for social housing, and that figure was expected to surge to 31% by 2027.

Lewisham Council said improvements being made to its housing service included reducing the call waiting time at its repairs booking contact centre and halving the repairs backlog.

It had also started a new training programme for staff who respond to complaints to ensure residents get "fair, clear and polite responses".

A council spokesperson said the authority was carrying out a condition survey of all of its homes and 7,500 properties had been surveyed so far - more than 50% of the total.

"This is already enabling us to identify buildings prone to damp and mould, even where it hasn’t been reported, and plan refurbishment," the spokesperson added.

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