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UN experts have said that one of England’s biggest social landlords appears to have systematically failed to ensure the habitability of its rental properties.
In a letter to the UK government, they cite the case of a disabled tenant, Sanjay Ramburn, 55, who they say lived with his family of five in an L&Q group property in Forest Gate, east London, for several years with no electricity. They experienced four ceiling collapses, as well as severe damp and mould that affected their health.
The children developed breathing issues, tinnitus and skin problems. Ramburn, who reported racial harassment and antisocial behaviour at the hands of his upstairs neighbour that he said was not addressed by L&Q, suffered severe mental health issues, the letter says.
The letter from the special rapporteur on adequate housing, Balakrishnan Rajagopal, and two other UN experts, states: “L&Q and several other residential developers and housing associations managing social housing in England appear to systematically fail to ensure or restore the habitability of their rentals … we wish to express our serious concern that the delayed, insufficient or lack of action by L&Q to address the issues raised by Mr S Ramburn and other tenants, as also documented by the housing ombudsman, may be having a significantly negative impact on the enjoyment of their human rights, particularly the right to an adequate standard of living, including housing.”
In 2023, L&Q, the largest housing association in London, was ordered to pay £142,000 to residents after an investigation by the ombudsman identified a “prolonged period of decline” in its service.
Ramburn, who moved into the flat in December 2013, said: “I started to get water from my kitchen and half the ceiling collapsed. I was waiting nearly four years without half the ceiling in the kitchen and then in 2017 the other half collapsed. Then they came, they fixed the ceiling but when they fixed it at the same time the bathroom ceiling collapsed.
“I always have to send them emails, beg for them to do something. I’ve been through hell in this place with L&Q, I’ve had anxiety, hopefully now they will do something about it.”
The letter says that, according to information received, in November 2023 the ceiling collapsed in the living room, injuring Ramburn, his son and youngest daughter. L&Q offered Ramburn compensation of £2,271 but he rejected the offer as “wholly inadequate”, it says.
It states that, in September, Ramburn and his family were offered temporary rehousing in another building owned by L&Q, while the previous apartment would undergo repairs, which he reluctantly accepted despite the fact it had “only one small bedroom for five persons, and may have similar issues with poor maintenance as the other flat”.
Matt Foreman, the executive group director of customer services at L&Q, said it was sorry for the difficulties experienced by Ramburn, adding: “We are working closely with him to resolve the situation and have made several offers of temporary accommodation in the area so we can complete the repairs needed. We have a dedicated antisocial behaviour team who investigated Mr Ramburn’s case, and will support him if any future incidents occur.”
He said the organisation had responded to the letter explaining that it operated within the UK’s social housing regulatory and complaints framework, which “provides clear routes for residents to access support if they aren’t satisfied with their landlord’s response”.
NEWA spokesperson for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said: “These claims are shocking and our sympathy goes out to Mr Ramburn and his family.
“We are clear housing providers must provide safe and decent homes for residents and that all forms of racism are inexcusable.
“Through Awaab’s law we are taking decisive action to crack down on unsafe conditions like damp and mould and make people’s homes safe.”
