A major purpose of social housing is to provide affordable housing for those in need, and government intervention is required to ensure that those on a low income have access to clean and safe housing. Social housing landlords owe their tenants a duty to keep their properties in a good state of repair and to provide a safe and clean environment.
Taking Care of Tenants: UK Social Landlords’ Responsibilities
A social landlord is an organization that provides social housing in the UK, such as a housing association or council. They are responsible for keeping the property in good repair and addressing any tenant welfare concerns raised. It’s social landlords’ responsibility to ensure that the tenants can live comfortably and safely in their homes, however, that’s not always the case.
When a social landlord is alerted of any issues that could negatively affect the tenant’s well-being, they are obligated to take immediate action to resolve them. This might entail arranging for support services or referring the tenant to other agencies for help and support.
If the landlord is made aware of an issue with their tenant and does not act, they could be in violation of their duty of care for failing to adhere to the National Safeguarding Guidelines. Unfortunately, there are several social landlords who neglect to provide their tenants with a well-kept home and disregard their duty of care.
Some of the cases of failures in the social housing sector
We’re solicitors who specialise in helping social housing tenants. We have come across some harrowing cases of neglect in cases of housing disrepair. Here are some examples:
- Tenant on dialysis left with out any access to water for almost a year. There was a leak in the property. Instead of fixing the leak and the resulting damage, the Council simply turned off the water.
- Social Housing Tenant living in a property without access to hot water. The boiler had broken down. The Council simply failed to fix the boiler for 4 years.
- A young mother and her 2 children living in a social housing property with mould and damp. The children suffered from asthma.
- Another case of a family with young children, where the school and the GP raised concerns with the condition of the property. The Council simply failed to carry out any repairs until we got involved.
Worst cases of social housing
Recently, a case brought to the public attention by Harriet Harman as reported by MailOnline. A 61-year-old woman from London had passed away in social housing. Despite neighbours complaining of a foul smell, flies, and maggots, she was left lying on the floor of her flat for three years.
Residents initially lodged a complaint with the social housing association Peabody concerning the smell emanating from the flat in 2019. However, two years of complaining did not prompt the social housing association to act. It was not until three years had passed that the police were informed to act, and force enter the home. As a result of this neglect and emotionally distressing event for both Sheila Seleoane’s family, friends, and neighbours, MP Harriet Harman is calling for a full independent investigation into the incident.
Click here to read the full story.
Housing Disrepair Solicitors
We deal with hundreds of cases every year. We can help those facing difficulties with their social housing landlord not maintaining the property and ignoring repairs. Find out more about how we can help by visiting www.aminhaque.co.uk/housing-disrepair or www.tenantadviceservice.co.uk
