A council’s error leads to a woman receiving £1,000 and rent payments after miscalculating her housing situation
South London: A woman found herself in a tough spot after Wandsworth Council messed up her housing situation. She fell behind on her rent because the council didn’t calculate her finances correctly. Her landlord raised her rent by £100, which she couldn’t afford.
After a watchdog looked into it, the council agreed to pay her £1,000 for the hassle they caused. They realized they had made a mistake in handling her case, which led to her signing a lease she couldn’t manage.
Ms. X, as she’s called in the report, had applied for help after getting an eviction notice in August 2022. The council tried to help by negotiating with her landlord, but things went sideways when the rent jumped to £1,200 instead of the agreed £1,100.
They should have put the new rent in writing to avoid confusion. Plus, they didn’t check if she was affected by a benefit cap, which meant they thought she had more money than she actually did.
A housing group raised concerns in November 2023, saying the rent increase was too high and left her struggling to buy essentials. The council admitted they messed up and agreed to cover her rent arrears of £1,894, along with the £1,000 for the trouble.
They also placed her on the housing waiting list and offered her temporary accommodation. Now, she’s moved into a permanent one-bedroom place. The report pointed out that the council didn’t discuss the benefit cap with her, which was a big oversight.
Despite the solicitor wanting more compensation, the ombudsman felt the council’s offer was fair. A council member acknowledged the mistakes and said they’re committed to improving their processes to prevent this from happening again.
