Manchester City Council to pay family £5k over mould-infested home

Manchester City Council has since apologised to the family for the state of the property

A council has been ordered to pay a family £5,000 in compensation after they were placed in an uninhabitable home rife with damp and mould.

Manchester City Council's chief executive was also ordered to apologise to the family in person for the state of the property and the authority's handling of their housing complaints.

The Housing Ombudsman found the council guilty of "severe maladministration".

The authority said it "fully accepts" the findings.

In a statement, the council said its response in this case "did not match the high standards we expect of our housing service".

The ombudsman summarised in a 27-page report that the mother and her three young children moved into the home in December 2020.

Before they moved into the three bedroom house the council carried out an inspection which found "extensive work" was needed.

The work included the replacement of a "rotten floor" in the kitchen and the treatment of mould and damp throughout the house.

But despite being aware of the issues, the council progressed the home as ready to let.

When the family moved in, the mother complained about the amount of mould on the walls and she eventually took the decision to move her family out to stay with relatives.

Yet despite the resident pushing for repairs, issues such as a leaking roof were left outstanding for over a year.

The mother eventually moved back in order to get her children settled for school, but many of the repairs had not been completed.

To compound these failings, the ombudsman said the council took too long to administer rent adjustments and as a result the family were issued with a "heavy-handed" £1,000 arrears notice.

'Disregard for safety'

The ombudsman said the council had "demonstrated a disregard for the resident's wellbeing and safety".

Repairs were completed in March 2022, 16 months after the family first raised concerns.

Richard Blakeway, housing ombudsman, said: "There were widespread, multiple and serious failings in this case and the landlord has to undertake significant learning to prevent similar future failure.

"The combined failings led to a young family being left essentially homeless due to an uninhabitable home.

"The fact the home was unfit to live in before the family even moved is shocking, but the landlord then failed to make things right for the residents with the subsequent repairs needed."

A council spokesman said: "We have since visited the resident on a number of occasions to apologise in person for the distress she has experienced, and we immediately engaged a chartered surveyor to undertake a comprehensive assessment of any outstanding issues at the home."

The authority said it had taken action on the ombudsman's report and was now "seeing tangible improvements under the guidance of a new leadership team".