Council criticised over slow response after finding safety hazards in family home

An ombudsman found the council at fault for not issuing an ‘improvement notice’ to a private landlord in response to discovering a broken boiler, fire hazards and a pest infestation, reports Joe Ives, Local Democracy Reporter

Enfield Council has been blamed for not taking action against a private landlord quickly enough after finding multiple hazards – including no hot water and a pest infestation – in a family home.

The recently published decision, taken by the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman, came after a woman and her children were left living in a home with multiple ‘Category One’ hazards for months on end.

These are hazards which may cause extreme harm or death and require the local authority to intervene.

The ombudsman’s report details how a woman, referred to as ‘Miss X’, reported multiple issues in her privately rented home to the council in early October 2024.

The council officer sent to assess the home documented multiple serious issues in their licensing inspection report, including no heating or hot water. They also found fire hazards, damp and mould issues, kitchen defects, trip hazards, water ingress via a leak – and a “significant” pest infestation.

The officer recommended employing a pest control contractor, providing new mechanical ventilation in the bathroom and fixing or replacing defective smoke detectors.

Shortly after this the council contacted the landlord, telling them to begin repairs, and gave Miss X and her children an offer of temporary accommodation. The local authority said the home offered was the only one available.

In November 2024, Miss X declined the council’s temporary accomodation. The council was then denied access to the property by Miss X and the landlord.

But despite the severity of the issues and problems dealing with the landlord, an official ‘improvement notice’ was not issued by the council until May 2025, and the landlord did not fix the boiler until December 2025 – more than a year after problem was first reported.

The ombudsman concluded that if the council had taken the formal action it was required to at the appropriate time “it is possible that the necessary works may have been acted upon sooner”.

They added: “The law does not allow for a long period of informal action if a Category One hazard is identified. The law mandates prescribed actions be taken when Category One hazards are identified because they represent the most risk.”

The regulator ordered Enfield Council to write to Miss X to apologise for not carrying out its duty to take appropriate action. It was also told to pay £200 to Miss X for the uncertainty caused by the lack of timely action.

The Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) asked the council if it had completed the remedies ordered by the ombudsman and whether it would be taking action to prevent similar incidents occurring in the future.

A council spokesperson responded, confirming that an apology had been issued and that they had contacted Miss X in order to send her the £200.

The spokesperson added: “We acknowledge the decision of the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman and are sorry for any distress caused in this case.

“The resident was offered temporary accommodation while the issues involving her property were being addressed.

“The health, wellbeing and safety of our residents is always our top priority, and we will take the findings of this case to drive further service improvements.”

Local news needs your support

We are proud that we were at the forefront of reporting on the recent local elections. We can’t do this without the support of our readers.

Independent news outlets like ours – reporting for the community without rich backers – are under threat of closure, turning British towns into news deserts.

If our coverage has helped you understand our community a little bit better, please consider supporting us with a monthly, yearly or one-off donation.

ACT NOW!

Monthly direct debit

Annual direct debit

£5 per month supporters get a digital copy of each month’s paper before anyone else, £10 per month supporters get a digital copy of each month’s paper before anyone else and a print copy posted to them each month. £50 annual supporters get a digital copy of each month's paper before anyone else.