Council Errors Left Family in Unsuitable Temporary Housing
Failed to consider medical needs when father became ill
Wandsworth Town Hall. Picture: Google Streetview
March 31, 2026
A family was unfairly forced to live in unsuitable temporary accommodation for nine months after the father falling seriously ill, a watchdog has ruled. Wandsworth Council has offered the man’s partner £2,400, after she complained, and agreed it had failed to properly consider the family’s medical needs.
The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman report said the council offered the family a property with stairs the man could not manage, as he was seriously ill. The watchdog found the situation caused the family major distress and inconvenience.
The family lived in a third-floor flat with no lift for several years, which made getting in and out of the building difficult for the man when he became seriously ill.
The council decided the family needed a three-bedroom home on the ground floor, or a maximum of five floors up with a lift, after reviewing their housing needs in November 2024.
The authority called the man’s partner, named Mrs B in the report, on November 26 to discuss the potential offer of a three-bed property on the ground and first floor of an apartment block, which she later accepted. The family moved into the home in January 2025.
Mrs B complained to the council in June that the property was unsuitable, hazardous and had disrepair. She escalated her complaint after it was rejected by the council, who said the home was not unsuitable due to disrepair.
But the authority accepted the property’s stairs made it unsuitable in response to Mrs B’s escalated complaint in August.
The council said it had not properly considered the family’s medical needs at the time of the offer, according to the report. It said it had contacted Mrs B to discuss alternative temporary accommodation, but she had declined saying she did not want any more temporary placements.
The watchdog said the council should have explored whether the property’s stairs were acceptable during its pre-offer call with Mrs B.
It said she had already rejected the council’s apology and offer of £2,400 for having to live in unsuitable temporary accommodation from November 26, 2024, to August 28, 2025, but recommended the authority remake this offer to give her another chance to accept it. The council confirmed it has now paid Mrs B the compensation.
The ombudsman did not investigate the disrepair claim as Mrs B has started legal action over this.
The report said: “We agreed with the council’s view that it failed to properly consider Mrs B and her family’s medical needs when it offered the current accommodation. This meant the family lived in unsuitable accommodation for nine months.”
A Wandsworth Council spokesperson said: “We take our responsibilities towards vulnerable residents incredibly seriously and we are committed to providing appropriate temporary accommodation for those that need it.
“We are sorry for the distress this individual experienced and have offered an apology, and paid the compensation in full. We are committed to learning from this experience to improve our processes and ensure it doesn’t happen again.”
Charlotte Lilywhite - Local Democracy Reporter