An ITV programme is featuring the case of a tenant in a Lewisham Homes property. Lewisham Homes manages and maintains 19,000 homes on behalf of Lewisham Council.
Margaret Dodwell, Chief Executive at Lewisham Homes, said:
We deeply regret the position our tenant was in and have apologised unreservedly for our failings in this case. He is now in temporary hotel accommodation, awaiting a new home.
Although we did attempt a number of repairs, it took us too long to understand how complicated the situation was. We should have moved the resident out of this property much sooner than we did.
I am very sorry that any resident had to experience living in such poor conditions, and I am taking immediate action to ensure we do everything we can to meet our responsibilities to our tenants – particularly those who are vulnerable or have particular needs. I have commissioned a full investigation, the outcome of which we will share with the Council and act upon.
We have already introduced measures to strengthen our processes. This includes a new escalation process and senior management review group for priority moves and poor condition properties; raising staff awareness of the need to report and escalate concerns about residents’ living conditions; increasing resources to manage disrepair and accelerating our programme of proactive ‘property MOTs’ of all our properties we know to be at risk of damp, and other high risk properties. The Council has committed significant additional funding to support us to roll this work out. Addressing these issues and ensuring we do everything we can to avoid this happening again is a priority for both Lewisham Council and Lewisham Homes and we are committed to learning important lessons for the benefit of our residents.
If you have concerns about the living conditions in a Lewisham Homes property, please let us know by emailing details and any pictures to property.condition@lewishamhomes.org.uk.
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