A mother said she was left with concussion, spinal spasms and whiplash after the ceiling in her London council house collapsed for the second time in eight months.
Venesha Rose lives in a Lambeth Council property with her three-year-old daughter. In January 2026, the family were placed in temporary accommodation after the three-bedroom house in Gipsy Hill was left damaged when a bedroom ceiling and downstairs study ceiling both collapsed.
Ceiling collapses twice
Just before the ceilings collapsed, Ms Rose claims a council worker visited and told her there was no leak. However, just a few hours after they had left, she says both ceilings collapsed and claimed one narrowly missed hitting her daughter.
Ms Rose says she first complained to the council about leaks at her property in 2024. When the family returned back home from their decant in May 2026, Ms Rose complained to the council about the repairs not being done properly. Just three months later the ceiling in the study would collapse again, with more serious consequences.
She told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS): “When we returned home, the electrics were all hanging [out], they still are.
“The water was turned off and then as soon as they turned it back on, the property was still leaking. So they hadn’t done any repairs.”
Injuries and hospital visit
Ms Rose claims the council told her all but one of the repairs at the property had been completed but she says the underlying problem of the leak remained unaddressed.
She said: “I was chasing them, I sent them videos and pictures. I said, ‘I don’t understand how you can mark these jobs as completed and said they’ve been done, no one’s come here. Where’s the compliance pack? What’s going on?’
“On the 27th [of August], because it was leaking so badly, me and my nephew were emptying out the boxes [with] the remaining stuff we had managed to salvage and wanted to keep and then the ceiling fell on us.”
The two were injured and ended up in hospital. A GP note seen by the LDRS shows Ms Rose suffered from a concussion headache, lower back pain, bruising, and pain throughout her neck, with the note specifying it was as a result of a ceiling collapse. Ms Rose alleges a piece of wood went into her nephew’s leg, which she says might leave him with a permanent scar.
A Lambeth Council spokesperson said they were “shocked and saddened” to hear of the injuries resulting from the ceiling collapse. They claimed the authority had not been provided with any information relating to this previously, so they were unable to comment further. However, the LDRS has seen emails showing Ms Rose had informed the council about her and her nephew’s injuries.
Safety concerns and dispute
As a result of the electricity being faulty, Ms Rose says most of the upstairs in her three-bed property is in darkness. She went on to say her fire alarms have been disconnected because there is water in them from the leaks.
On Monday, September 28, Ms Rose claimed her daughter then fell down the stairs due to there being no working lights in that part of the house.
Ms Rose said: “Because it’s pitch black and there’s no lights, all of her knees are grazed up and she’s got a graze on her forehead. It’s just not safe.
“Everyone I send pictures to of this house, they say, ‘I can’t believe you’re in the UK and you’re living like this’.”
Ms Rose is also in dispute with the council over her gas and electricity and has complained to the Financial Ombudsman. Prior to being decanted, Ms Rose says her gas was £350 in credit and her electricity was £650 in credit. However, when she moved back in, she claims her gas was £200 in debt while her electricity was £150 in debt.
Ms Rose, who lives with disabilities, told the LDRS she always tops up with extra credit because her house is very cold. She says she makes sure her house is warm because of her disabilities.
She said: “When a property is decanted, you as a landlord take full possession over it, that’s why you asked me for my cards. Just because you saw that they were in credit, it didn’t mean you could use it all up.”
Ms Rose normally looks after a foster child, but because of the state and safety of her property, she says he is unable to stay there. She said: “He’s in temporary respite until they either permanently decant us or repair [the property]. But this has been going on for 10 months, they haven’t repaired here.”
Ms Rose also hopes to buy her council home through the Right to Buy process, but says this has been put on pause until her house can be valued and is in a saleable condition.
A Lambeth Council spokesperson said they were aware of the repairs needed at the property and have been in touch “several times” with Ms Rose, including already visiting her home and undertaking works. They claim there have been access issues when a worker arrived on one occasion.
Speaking last week, they added: “Our senior surveyor visited the property immediately after the ceiling collapse five weeks ago and we have been working to repair this since. We have an appointment with Ms Rose to attend her property on Thursday [October 9] and look forward to resolving the last remaining issues.”
