The Housing Ombudsman has completed a damning special investigation into Lewisham Council, following “serious concerns” in how the authority manages hazards and handles complaints.
The Ombudsman had found the council to have poorly handled 92% of complaints, with leaks, damp and mould throughout its housing stock.
The council told the Ombudsman that almost a quarter of the housing it manages did not meet the Decent Homes Standard as of September 2024, above the average of 10.8% across other London authorities.
Since the report this percentage of Lewisham’s housing falling short of the standard has been reduced to 17%, with a target of 2026 set to meet the London average.
Damp and mould were the leading causes of these homes not meeting the standard.
To highlight the state of disrepair and lack of attention, the Ombudsman pointed to one household it met with during the investigation — a mother with two young children, one disabled and one asthmatic — who lived with leaks, damp and mould for years.
Despite multiple surveyor visits, and reports of health impacts by the family themselves, Lewisham Council did not carry out work. Even when the risk of ceiling collapse was identified it took two further months for repairs to be made.
Tenants also reported a poor culture within the landlord’s service, either through tone of correspondence, a failure to prioritise repairs or the landlord’s attitude.
Lewisham Council is now working to rectify these problems but Richard Blakeway, housing ombudsman, said it was on a “long road” towards improvement.
“The landlord appears to have a stable management team in place that is focused on improving despite the many challenges councils face,” said Richard.
“It is going to be a challenge and will take skill to ensure the landlord is concentrating on the priority areas while not allowing other areas to suffer.
“I encourage all landlords, especially those in London, to read and digest the report. Many of the challenges faced by this landlord will not be unique.”
In a statement, Lewisham Council acknowledged the “significant impact” that its failures had had.
“Our repair teams are completing more jobs per day and we have strengthened quality assurance processes, including post-repair inspections and regular contractor reviews,” read the statement.
“Waiting times for residents contacting us have fallen significantly, and we have recruited additional staff to improve responsiveness.
“We recognise that rebuilding trust takes time and sustained effort.
“We are committed to learning from complaints, embedding a culture of respect and accountability, and preparing for new legal standards.”
