The failing of the vulnerable in housing needs and support

Sarne
Sarne Online Community Member Posts: 2 Listener
in Housing and independent living

0n the 15th May 2025 I suffered a devastating fire at home. It resulted in 2 windows blown out ad boarded up and the rest of the windows at the back of the house with large cracks in the glass. The property suffered with destroyed gutter.Fascias and loft damage. The fencing and garden damage all burned to the ground and the Fire expert could not find the cause. I have lived in my house for 40 yrs and never %had a problem. From the 15th of May to the 29th of September/25 not one repair has been done. Our Councillor has tried and tried to wake up the housing group. I am 73 and live on my own after losing youngest daughter who collapsed and died at home. without warning.She had learning disabilities but was a hero. My only one daughter left has Autism . Through no fault of my own I am sight impaired-hearing impaired and mobility impaired with a bad heart. If anyone has had similar experience with the housing provider and how it has affected you

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Comments

  • MW123
    MW123 Scope Member Posts: 1,614 Championing
    edited October 1

    @Sarne

    Firstly, my belated condolences on the loss of your daughter. I cannot imagine the pain of that time. It is deeply wrong that, alongside your grief, you are now dealing with unsafe housing conditions.

    You have described a situation that is not just distressing, it is a breach of your legal rights.
    Under Section 11 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, your housing provider is responsible for repairing the structure and exterior of your home. That includes windows, loft, guttering, and any areas damaged by the fire.

    You can send a formal repair request directly to your housing provider. Put it in writing, either by email or letter. List the damage, mention the Act, and give them a reasonable deadline. Fourteen days is standard.

    It is also worth contacting your local council’s Environmental Health team. They can assess the property for serious hazards. Fire damage and broken windows often meet that threshold.

    If nothing changes, you can escalate the issue to the Housing Ombudsman. When you do, include the full timeline of events and any involvement from your councillor.

    Your position is also strengthened by the Renters Rights Bill and Awaab’s Law. These protections apply to housing associations and require urgent action where health and safety are at risk, including fire damage and broken windows.

    Hopefully your councillor will support you with this. Take care xx

  • Mary_Scope
    Mary_Scope Posts: 2,910 Scope Online Community Children and Family Specialists

    Hi @Sarne and a warm welcome to the community from me!

    Thank you for telling us a little bit about your situation, I'm very sorry this has happened to your home. It may be worth escalating it contacting your MP about this as this is such a serious issue and nothing has really been done to help you yet.

    It may also be good to contact the Housing Ombudsman Service to make a formal complaint, especially since you've had no repairs since May and your councillor's efforts haven’t worked.

  • MW123
    MW123 Scope Member Posts: 1,614 Championing

    @Sarne

    Just a heads-up, if you haven’t gone through your housing provider’s formal complaints process, the Housing Ombudsman will reject the case.

    You can only take a complaint to the Housing Ombudsman once you’ve fully exhausted your housing provider’s formal complaints procedure. That means submitting a written complaint, waiting for a response, and following any internal escalation stages they outline.

    Even if your local councillor has been helping, the Ombudsman won’t investigate unless the landlord or housing association has had a fair chance to resolve things directly, through their own complaints procedure.

    Once that route is complete, or if they fail to respond within a reasonable timeframe, you can escalate. Including your councillor’s involvement and a clear timeline will help strengthen your case.

    It’s frustrating, especially when serious repairs are being ignored, but if the proper steps haven’t been followed, the Ombudsman will throw it out. Technically, they won’t even look at it.

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