A West London council has apologised and agreed to pay compensation to a pregnant woman and her children after placing them in unsuitable housing with “exposed wiring, poor hygiene and unsafe furniture” for more than seven months.
The woman, referred to as Miss D in the report, approached the council in July 2024 for homelessness assistance. In December, a Hillingdon Council officer contacted her about private rental accommodation, but no suitable property could be identified.
Interim accommodation and reported hazards
Miss D submitted medical and vulnerability assessment forms to the council detailing health conditions and an inability to use public transport. In March 2025, she was evicted from her home and was provided an emergency one-night hotel stay.
The following day, the council placed Miss D in interim accommodation outside of the area she had requested. Just days after moving in, Miss D reported several hazards within the property, including “exposed wiring, poor hygiene and unsafe furniture.”
The council resolved the safety and repair issues within 18 days. Miss D then notified the council that she was pregnant.
Complaint and housing review
Shortly after, Miss D formally complained that her assigned officer had been ignoring her contact, failing to assist with private housing, and that she felt unsafe in the house during her pregnancy. Her case was later reallocated to another officer, and she was added to a temporary accommodation transfer list.
According to the report, a council officer wrongly told Miss D that the only way she could challenge the interim accommodation suitability is via judicial review. Later, the council initiated a housing suitability review.
In September, the council formally admitted that the temporary accommodation was unsuitable and confirmed to her that she should have been prioritised since May.
Deposit delay and compensation
Throughout the next few weeks, Miss D independently found a private rental property. The council then asked Miss D for details to pay the deposit for her new home, worried it would jeopardise the new tenancy. However by early October, the deposit had still not been paid as the council officer “had forgotten to process the payment.”
Hillingdon Council said: “We accept the decision of the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman and have met all the agreed actions in its report. We have apologised to the complainant and reviewed our internal processes to ensure we best serve residents and meet their needs.”
Hillingdon Council agreed to pay Miss D £1,750 for the time spent living in unsuitable accommodation and £200 for the trouble caused by the handling of the case.
