Council that threatened PRS landlords to pay £5,400 compensation to tenant

Just days after threatening private rented sector (PRS) landlords with taking control of properties they don’t license and look after; a council has been told to pay a tenant £5,400 in compensation.

The Housing Ombudsman announced the payment for prolonged damp and mould neglect in a home – a problem that ran for more than THREE years.

The Ombudsman’s investigation into Newham Council revealed a pattern of severe maladministration, with the council failing to provide timely resolutions and regularly neglecting to keep the affected resident informed about repair progress.

There were ‘distressing lapses’ in the council’s response and after several months of persistence from the tenant, council staff visited the property and left a dehumidifier.

Council workers identified a potential source of the issue as a leak behind the toilet, but this took a year to fix.

‘Left the resident living with damp and mould’

The Housing Ombudsman, Richard Blakeway, said: “There were significant failings throughout this case which left the resident living with damp and mould for an unreasonable amount of time.

“On multiple occasions throughout the course of the complaint, a lack of proactive action and poor communication, both with the resident and internally, contributed to significant delays.

“Despite repeated issues with communications from its repairs team, the landlord did not change its approach and take ownership of the resolution of the issues.”

He added: “Whilst there were severe delays to the repairs, the landlord also took too long to arrange temporary accommodation and to respond to the resident about his damaged belongings.”

Asked Newham Council when they would repair the damp and mould damage

Once the leaking shower had been fixed, the tenant regularly asked Newham Council when they would repair the damp and mould damage – but was told to clean it himself.

That’s despite flagging up issues of damp issues around the fuse box and light fittings.

After TWO years of enduring the problem, the resident wanted a move to temporary accommodation due to the overpowering damp odour and a rat infestation that he attributed to the mould.

Over the ensuing nine months, attempts were made to address the pests and damp within the bathroom.

However, the council still failed to respond to the resident’s inquiries and made when they did, made promises of action that didn’t take place.

Three years and four months after the initial complaint

A staggering three years and four months after the initial complaint, the council notified the resident – who had relocated to temporary housing just a month earlier – that the repairs had been finished.

However, upon returning to the property, the resident deemed the quality of repairs subpar and demanded an independent surveyor’s assessment to validate his concerns.

In addition to the financial compensation, which included a portion of the rent paid, the Ombudsman ordered a senior council officer to apologise to the resident.

The council was also ordered to tell the tenant what they are going to do about his damaged belongings and to carry out a thorough assessment of its service practices on damp and mould issues.

‘Priority is providing safe, decent homes’

In a statement, Newham Council said: “Our priority is providing safe, decent homes for our residents and dealing with any issues brought to our attention swiftly, effectively and with compassion.

“We apologise unreservedly for failing to meet our high standards in this instance.

“We fully accept the Ombudsman’s findings and have acted on each of the orders made.

“We have also found alternative accommodation for the household involved and will continue to work with them to find a suitable permanent solution.

“We now have a well-established, proactive approach to tackling damp and mould across Newham, and we are prioritising driving up standards.”

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