Mother with three young children wins £5,000 payout and personal apology from council chief executive for ‘uninhabitable’ house full of rot and damp and leaking roof that went unfixed for 67 weeks
A mother-of-three has received a £5,000 payout after she was left in a council house riddled with damp, mold and unrepaired leaks.
Manchester City Council moved a family of four into a four-bedroom property in Wythenshaw, knowing that four of the rooms had rotten kitchen floors and dampness.
Although residents pressed the housing provider nine times to carry out repairs, the problems could not be resolved and it took 67 weeks to repair the roof leak.
The family was then forced to stay with relatives in an overcrowded house until the matter was resolved because the landlord had failed to provide them with accommodation, the Housing Ombudsman said.
A Manchester council chief executive has been told to apologize to the mother, who remained anonymous, for the distress and inconvenience caused by living in an “unfit home”.
A family of four were moved to a four-bedroom property in Wythenshaw by Manchester City Council, knowing four of the rooms had rotten kitchen floors and damp
Even though residents pressed the housing association nine times for repairs, it failed to resolve the issues
A Manchester council chief executive has been ordered to apologize to his mother for the distress and inconvenience caused by living in an ‘unfit home’
Richard Blakeway, Housing Ombudsman, said: “There were widespread, repeated and serious failings in this case and there is a lot for the landlord to learn to prevent similar mistakes in the future.
“The combined failures left the young family essentially homeless for the sake of an uninhabitable home. Shockingly, the house was uninhabitable before the family even moved in, but the owner failed to take care of the residents’ welfare, requiring subsequent repairs.
“These failings included significant delays, lack of inspection competence, poor quality of work and inadequate coordination and supervision.
“This has caused serious adverse effects on the household. The landlord’s reaction was made more difficult by considering the resident’s letter prior to taking action, in which, instead of resolving the complaint, he suspended the repairs.
“We have made clear in our guidance on the Pre-Action Protocol on Housing and Service Complaints that this should not be the case.
“In addition to these shortcomings, the handling of complaints also failed the landlord. It took six months to respond to the complaint, which meant the resident’s right to have her concerns heard was denied and no response was made within the time frame set out in the complaints procedure.
“There was also little evidence to suggest that the landlord had learned from the results of the case.”
Shortly after moving in, the family complained that mold appeared on the walls when the plaster peeled off while decorating the house.
One of the children also tripped on a dangerous path in the garden, resulting in a cut lip.
According to the spokesman, the housing service provider failed to investigate the causes of damp and mold, thus showing disregard for the family’s well-being and safety.
One of the children also tripped on a dangerous path in the garden, resulting in a cut lip
Shortly after moving in, the family complained that mold appeared on the walls when the plaster peeled off while decorating the house.
When a mother moved her children back home to prepare them for school, many repairs were left unfinished, including the kitchen and bathroom floors
Further problems included water seeping through the kitchen floor and falling through holes in the roof, causing leaks into several rooms, including the kitchen and bedrooms.
When the mother moved the children back into the house to prepare them for school, many repairs were left unfinished, including the kitchen and bathroom floors.
This was especially disturbing for the resident of the house because she had a crawling baby.
The resident felt she had no choice but to try to solve the problem herself, costing her thousands of pounds which the landlord did not refund her, even though she was fully aware of what was happening.
The council was ordered to calculate the cost of the work the resident had to undertake and recoup, as well as carry out a detailed review to prevent future failures.
Authorities say they have completed all repairs to the home and added additional insulation as requested by the resident.
The property was previously managed by Northwards Housing but is now managed directly by the council.
Manchester Council says it has brought Northwards to its premises in a bid to make further improvements.
Manchester Council said: “Our aim is to provide the best possible service for our residents and we must fully accept the Ombudsman’s findings on this matter. Our performance in managing this home on behalf of our tenant was not up to the high standards we expect from our residential service.
“Our tenants should never feel they have no option but to escalate repair issues to the Ombudsman, which is why we have since visited the resident on numerous occasions to personally apologize for the distress she has experienced and immediately contacted the authorized a surveyor to conduct a comprehensive assessment of any outstanding issues in the home.
