Family of three lived in leaky Southwark flat for three years and only moved out when ceiling collapsed – Southwark News

Southwark City Council took three years to relocate a family from a leaky, damp house, only intervening when the ceiling collapsed.

When the council finally let them move out, they were put in a building “full of mould”. The shocking incident, which resulted in the two children developing asthma, was highlighted in a recent report by the Housing Commissioner.

Southwark Liberal Democrat leader, Councillor Victor Chamberlain, said the borough was “once again making national headlines” with its appalling record on the housing market.

Southwark City Council accepted the Ombudsman’s findings and said it had made significant changes to its repair and housing processes since the case came to light.

The Southwark tenant, a father of two whose name was not disclosed, reported a leak that made his home uninhabitable.

Because of the cold and humidity, his energy bills were higher and he lost income because he often had to return home to replace buckets used to catch leaks in the ceiling.

He also said that the light in the toilet had not worked for a year and that the door could no longer be closed because it had swollen from absorbing water.

Southwark City Council did nothing for three years and only let the family move out when the ceiling collapsed.

But when the family moved out, their new home was full of mold, the report said.

Southwark Council has been ordered to pay £2,030 compensation and a written apology to residents after being accused of poor management.

A Southwark Council spokesman said: “We apologise for the delay in repairing this building. We recognise that the situation could have been handled more efficiently and that the need for relocation would have been unnecessary if the leak had been repaired more quickly.”

“We fully accept the Housing Ombudsman’s findings, have officially apologised to the resident and agreed to compensation.”

Councillor Victor Chamberlain said: “Once again we see Southwark making national headlines with its appalling housing record. Southwark Labour can continue to bury its head in the sand but residents continue to suffer unacceptable living conditions and are treated with contempt when they ask to move.

“The fact that the Ombudsman also had to criticise the poor compensation in relation to the damage suffered only makes matters worse. It couldn’t be clearer that Southwark Labour is a landlord that no one should vote for.”

Since this case, Southwark City Council says it has done the following:

• Establish a Repair Improvement Panel, comprised of and chaired by a resident, to help us address key issues affecting the service and how we can improve it.
• Establishment of a new dedicated team for complaints and quality assurance in housing
• Review of our repair service with the aim of making our structures future-proof and tailored to our housing portfolio
• We have commissioned independent research into a number of our teams, including leaks, to understand how we can move towards a more connected and proactive service.