London council ordered to pay £5,400 over damp and mould failure

While that leak was fixed just under a year after it was first reported, damp and mould persisted.

The resident said the council had not carried out any specific works on the damp and mould itself, telling him to clean it himself, the ombudsman reported. 

He also expressed concerns around safety, as the damp areas affected the light fittings and the area around the fuse box.

In response to this, an operative made sure the electrics were safe but noted “severe water penetration” from the bathroom.

Over the next couple of months, the council visited the property on several occasions to fix leaks in the shower.

Following this, the resident contacted the landlord multiple times to ask what it would do about the damp and mould in his home. 

The council said its repairs team would respond. However, the ombudsman found no evidence that this happened.

The resident continued to complain about damp and mould, but the council continued to fail to update him on what was happening with his home and actions that could be taken to fix it.

Two years after he had first reported the issue, the resident requested to be moved to temporary accommodation because of a strong smell of damp throughout the home and a rat infestation he believed was caused by the mould.

Over the next nine months, while works were done to the bathroom to help with the pests and damp issues, the resident chased the council up numerous times about updates to the works and his request to be moved. 

Each time the council said its repairs team would respond, but there was no evidence this ever happened, the ombudsman said. 

Three years and four months after it was first reported, the council advised the resident, who had only moved into temporary accommodation the month before, that works were complete. 

However, when the resident returned to the home, he believed the standard of repairs was unsatisfactory and asked for an independent surveyor’s report.

On top of the compensation, the ombudsman ordered a senior member of the landlord to apologise to the resident, provide him with information about next steps regarding his damaged belongings and for the landlord to review its service against the ombudsman’s spotlight report into damp and mould.

Richard Blakeway, the housing ombudsman, said there were “significant failings” throughout the case. 

“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. 

“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,” he said. 

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

It said: “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.”

The council said it now had a “well-established, proactive approach to tackling damp and mould” across Newham.

It said it was continuing to invest in a dedicated task force to tackle damp and mould in council properties. 

Between September 2021 and March 2023, the council undertook more than £6m of works to resolve issues of damp and mould and budgeted £25m towards the task force’s work over the next three years.

It published a draft damp and mould strategy and action plan and is collecting data on its housing stock to target improvements where they are needed most.

The programme is backed by a £53m capital investment programme, alongside an initial investment of £21m to improve the condition and energy efficiency of homes.