Vulnerable tenants left 'forgotten' in unsafe homes

Southern Housing tenants have said they felt "forgotten"

Vulnerable tenants living in properties managed by one of the biggest housing associations in the UK have told the BBC they are living in dangerous, dirty conditions, some without basic amenities such as a shower or secure front door.

Ben - not his real name - and his two young children were placed in temporary accommodation provided by Southern Housing (SH) in Kent after fleeing an abusive relationship.

He said he felt "like somebody who had been chucked away" as there were nails sticking out of the floor and the garden was full of faeces.

SH said it takes allegations of service failure extremely seriously and its number one priority was safeguarding vulnerable residents.

Ben said the house, which he moved into in September, did not contain any white goods, like a washing machine or fridge.

"We were stripped back to living out of cardboard boxes. There was nothing there," he said.

One of the doors fell off its hinges because the woodwork was so rotten, Ben added.

SH said it had 80,000 homes across the south east of England - including Sussex, Surrey and Kent - as well as London, the Isle of Wight and the Midlands.

The housing association told the BBC Ben had "accepted" the home knowing it had no white goods, but it had provided funds to ensure he could purchase essentials, like a cooker and microwave.

SH said it had not received a complaint directly from Ben and had signposted him to other agencies for support.

"We remain in regular contact with [Ben] and are committed to discussing any repairs that may be required," SH said.

Nails and carpet tacks were littered all over the floor, said Ben

'Forgotten about'

Susan from Surrey - whose name we have also changed - told the BBC she lived in "terror" for more than three years because SH failed to fix her front door, which was not properly secured, despite her continual pleas.

A former partner managed to let himself into her flat during this time, she said.

SH said it inspected Susan's door and found it was installed correctly.

Her "safety was never put at risk", SH told the BBC.

Susan - who suffers from severe mental health issues - moved into the housing association property from a women's hostel in 2019.

She said SH had also left her without a functioning window for months in winter and did not inform her of a rent increase.

The BBC has seen email correspondence between Susan and Southern Housing that supports Susan’s claims about the window, with SH acknowledging that she had raised the repair “several times in the last two years”.

The housing association said it had informed Susan of a change in her rent. It said it had completed all repairs when reported and was not aware of any outstanding issues.

If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this article, you can find advice here.

Susan said her "constant battles" with SH had had a drastic impact on her physical and mental wellbeing.

"On many occasions, I called or emailed to explain just how unhappy and suicidal I felt... and I was constantly met with no outcome," she said.

"I just kind of feel like I've been put here just to be forgotten about."

SH said Susan had been offered support by its financial inclusion team, including clearing her rent arrears.

Social housing tenants say they feel forgotten by Southern Housing

John Cutler from Sittingbourne, Kent, uses a wheelchair due to a long-term health condition.

He said he had been without his accessibility toilet, which has rails to support his movement, after SH began work on his bathroom due to mould in September.

He was forced to shower at a friend's house for a month.

The shower has now been fixed, but the 67-year-old said he and his wife were "struggling" as she had to assist him when using their other toilet.

"It is not only that they haven't done the job. It is that we have to stay in for days on end just in case anybody comes... we don't know when they're coming or going," he said.

"It just needs to get sorted, but an apology would go a long way."

SH said it had now carried out repairs on Mr Cutler's bathroom. It said the toilet remained in full working order and Mr Cutler had not reported any issues with his shower.

SH said all works would be completed on Friday.

Mr Cutler's bathroom needed replacing as it was riddled with mould

Richard Brittain, former chairman of the Kent Regional Residents Panel at SH, said the number of social housing tenants experiencing issues with their SH property was likely significantly higher since many were "terrified of rocking the boat" and would not come forward.

Still, he believed the issues were indicative of a "broken system" - rather than a "broken company".

He said the Housing Ombudsman needed more power and legislation should be made clearer to better protect social housing tenants.

'Everyone deserves a safe home'

A Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government spokesperson said: “Everyone deserves to live in a safe, warm and decent home and failings preventing people from being able to do so are unacceptable."

They said the government would consult on a "new decent homes standard" early next year to ensure tenants were not plagued by disrepair.

Legislation setting tough new requirements for landlords to investigate and fix hazards in social homes - such as damp and mould – within strict timeframes will also be brought forward, they added.