Local Government Ombudsman finds fault with Hounslow Council over eviction of vulnerable woman

Hounslow House

Hounslow Council told to apologise after vulnerable woman is made homeless and her belongings are thrown away

Hounslow Council has been criticised by the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman for the way in which they treated a woman who was made homeless.

It delayed acting until Miss X was evicted from her home and failed to consider what it should to do to protect her belongings. The Council was told to apologise and make a symbolic payment for the distress it caused her.

‘It should also take action to prevent similar fault in future’ the Ombudsman says in his report.

A spokesperson for Hounslow Council told The Chiswick Calendar:

“We accept the findings of the Ombudsman and have taken the agreed actions, and apologised to the complainant. This includes compensation for any distress, frustration and uncertainty caused.”

Councils have a duty of care to people who are homeless or threatened with homelessness. The guidance they are meant to adhere to says housing applicants should not be evicted by bailiffs because of a failure by a council to provide accommodation.

Too many councils take a “wait for bailiffs” approach, says the Ombudsman, which causes significant and avoidable distress for people at an already difficult time in their lives.

In this case the woman, referred to as ‘Miss X’ had several health conditions which affected her day-to-day life. As a result, she was unable to provide herself with good nutrition, to maintain her personal hygiene, or to use her home safely, all of which the Council acknowledged.

They put together a care plan for her which involved visits from a carer several times a day.

Her landlord threatened to evict her and followed up six months later by obtaining a possession order. When she asked the Council for help packing up her possessions they told her to go to the Citizens Advice Bureau for help, as packing is not covered by carers.

She was evicted by bailiffs and went to stay with family but was not able to take with her the Zimmer frames, walking sticks, a walker, a special chair and a hospital bed on loan.

Because of a delay in the eviction process the Council had closed her case.

‘When Miss X reapplied to the Council it should have also considered, straight away, if it had reason to believe she may be homeless, eligible and in priority need. In that case, it would have owed her the duty to arrange interim accommodation immediately. There is no evidence the Council did this, which was fault’, says the Ombudsman.

After a protracted period during which she was offered three places to live which she said were not suitable for various reasons, she made a complaint, saying the Council did not help her move when she was evicted; failed to find her accommodation before she was evicted; placed her in accommodation which was unsuitable; and did not communicate with her well.

She spent two weeks in one place without heating or hot water just because there was a problem with the lock on the gas meter cupboard and the gas engineer could not get access to the meter.

The Ombudsman outlines a number of faults in the way the Council responded and ordered the Council to apologise to her ‘for the frustration, distress and uncertainty she experienced’, to pay her £500 in recognition of that and to refund the costs of her eviction.

They have also just published a decision criticising Hounslow Council for overcharging for care.

READ ALSO: Hounslow Council criticised for overcharging for care

A man who needed care at home after being discharged from hospital was overcharged by the Council. The Ombudsman has told Hounslow it must apologise to his daughter, who looks after his bills and queried the invoice, and it must look at why this happened so they can prevent similar instances in future.