The Housing Ombudsman has made a severe maladministration finding after Barking and Dagenham Council’s failure to deal with damp and mould resulted in a family of six sharing a bedroom.
After taking more than two and a half years to resolve the issue, the London council has been ordered to pay the resident £6,000.
The Ombudsman said that while the council was aware that family members with various health conditions, including asthma, and a one-year-old baby resided in the property, there was no evidence that the case was considered urgent.
The council therefore took no action during the first Covid-19 lockdown and was delayed in acting when restrictions were lifted.
The Ombudsman also found that a temporary accommodation move was not seriously considered, despite advice from a medical professional and the resident’s husband having a heart attack.
Housing Ombudsman Richard Blakeway said: ‘There is a need for landlords to consider the urgency of its repairs when dealing with those who have a relevant health condition or where there are children involved.
‘Temporary accommodation could have given the family a vital reprieve, but the landlord did not consider it until too late.’
In its learning from the case, the council said it had introduced a new compliance team and a new approach to root cause identification to reduce repeated reporting of issues.
