A series of “serious issues” in how Enfield Council handled a homelessness case have been highlighted by an ombudsman, reports Grace Howarth, Local Democracy Reporter

Enfield Council has been told to pay a resident £2,500 in compensation after moving them to temporary accommodation with broken heating.

A report from the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman explained the Enfield resident – referred to as ‘Miss X’ in its report –received a Section 21 ‘no fault’ eviction notice from her private landlord in November 2023 and, after informing the council, was told to “wait for the bailiffs to evict her”.

The landlord then asked a court for a warrant to evict Miss X, which took place in May 2024.

The watchdog said the council should have considered whether it was “reasonable” for her to remain in the home at “each stage of the eviction” and as such this was a “fault”.

On the day of the eviction the council accepted relief duty and interim accommodation duty and placed her in a hotel and then a hostel for the following five nights.

However, the ombudsman found it “not reasonable” for Miss X to remain in the property until a court issued a warrant. Instead, interim accommodation should have been arranged to avoid Miss X incurring debt from the bailiff and potentially court costs. The council was also informed Miss X was waiting for hospital treatment as she had several medical conditions which affected her mobility.

In late May, the same year, Miss X was moved into a property “outside of the council’s area” and in July Miss X told the council the property had “issues”.

After accepting main housing duty, the council moved Miss X into another home, this time in the council’s area but not near the hospital Miss X visited.

In this second property Miss X said there were disrepair issues. She could not wash herself as it only had a bath, while a tap and radiators were broken along with the toilet. As a consequence Miss X said she fell in the bath “and there were no handles to help her get in and out to wash”.

The watchdog again said it was a fault as the council should have “been aware the accommodation was unsuitable” due to its state of disrepair and its location, adding: “Lack of heating is a serious issue and the council’s failure address it meant [the] accommodation was unsuitable.”

After completing a suitability review the council agreed the property was unsuitable and made a final offer to Miss X in March 2025. This offer was then rescinded as the new property turned out to be unsuitable as well.

In the meantime Miss X’s problems with the radiators and tap were still not resolved and she had relied on a local swimming pool to take showers, as well as purchasing portable heaters.

The watchdog also noted that between August and November 2024 Miss X was prevented from bidding on properties as the council was considering her medical information which was deemed another “fault”.

In response Enfield was told to apologise to Miss X and pay her £700 to recognise the “uncertainty and frustration” she experienced, pay any court and bailiff costs, and £1,800 for the impact of being housed in unsuitable accommodation.

The civic centre was also told to reimburse Miss X for the cost of the portable heaters she purchased.

The council was approached for comment but did not respond.

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