Council at fault over rehousing delay for domestic abuse victim, report finds

Haringey Council forced to pay woman compensation over delays
By Simon Allin, Local Democracy Reporter

A woman was left in distress and at risk of domestic abuse because Haringey Council delayed moving her, an official investigation has found.

The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman criticised the council for leaving the woman and her family in unsuitable accommodation and failing to move her after her ex-partner found out her address.

The council has apologised and paid out more than £2,000 in compensation, agreeing to make further payments of £250 per month until it found her a new place to live. It says the delay was caused by a lack of suitable accommodation in the area that would have met the resident’s needs.

The woman, who was referred to as “Ms X” in the report, left her family home with her children after suffering domestic abuse and went to stay with a family member. After approaching the council as homeless in June 2020, she was put in temporary accommodation and later added to the housing register.

But in September 2021, the woman asked the council to move her, claiming the condition of the property and fumes from the premises below were affecting the family’s health because of their pre-existing medical conditions.

The same month, the authority recommended she should be moved. Then, in December, the woman contacted the council again and said her family were at risk because her ex-partner had found out her address. The council again recommended a temporary accommodation transfer.

In February, she complained to the ombudsman about the council’s response. According to a ruling published in May, the ombudsman found the council at fault over the delay in moving the woman once it decided her accommodation was unsuitable. It said she and her children remained in unsuitable accommodation, despite the transfer requests.

The ombudsman ruled there was “no record of any action the council took to find alternative temporary accommodation”, adding: “It is disappointing that it took our involvement to prompt the council to resolve an issue that had been going on for months.”

Dana Carlin, cabinet member for housing services, private renters and planning, said: “We accept that we should have moved Ms X and her family to alternative temporary accommodation and can only apologise for the delay in this taking place.

“This resulted from a lack of suitable accommodation in the area that would have met the resident’s needs, and we acknowledge that this should have been prioritised. We accept the findings from the ombudsman report and have paid compensation to Ms X.

“We are determined to provide high-quality housing services for residents across Haringey and recently brought this back under the direct control of the council. Haringey has an acute lack of housing both in the social rented sector and affordable housing in the private rented sector. Building council homes is a priority for this administration.

“We recognise we have an ongoing duty to ensure suitability of temporary accommodation, and as part of the reorganisation we have introduced new procedures to ensure this takes place. We have also improved reporting on cases where we know a customer needs to move.

“Since the decision, we have nominated Ms X to alternative accommodation in a safe area and will continue to work with the family until we can find a settled housing solution she is happy with.”

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