Labour Lambeth Council is facing one of the worst housing repairs crises in the country — and it didn’t happen overnight.
From systemic failures in fixing basic problems like damp, mould and broken windows to spiralling costs and compensations that have drained the Housing Revenue Account (HRA), the evidence is clear: under Labour’s leadership, serious neglect has become entrenched.
Last year Lambeth incurred £29m in costs fighting tenants in court or only repairing council homes after they were forced to. £21m alone was spent on lawyers - in other words an extra £900 that every council tenant has to pay to cover Lambeth’s legal fees. It’s unsurprising that with this waste Lambeth is having to increase council rents by the maximum allowed of 4.8%.
The alternative is simple: Work hard to get a repairs system that fixes mould, damp and other problems first time.
Council tenants don’t want to sue the council, but they do because of the terrible state of Lambeth’s homes.
The Housing Ombudsman says there is severe maladministration by Labour Lambeth
In August 2025, the Housing Ombudsman published the Learning from Severe Maladministration report naming Labour Lambeth Council among those failing on essential repairs and customer service.
The report documents shocking examples of neglect:
- A child’s bedroom window was boarded up for more than three years, even after the council acknowledged the danger.
- Rotten windows which left tenants trapped without ventilation for years.
- Cases were downgraded or closed without resolution, and communication with residents was “conflicting or absent.”
The Ombudsman found that poor communication, long delays, and incorrect prioritisation of repairs were common themes — leaving vulnerable residents in unsafe and undignified conditions.
It’s unsurprising that the government Regulator of Social Housing ranks Lambeth as 349th out of 353 social housing providers in the country in terms of tenant satisfaction.
347 dangerous damp and mould complaints in just three weeks in 2025
In the first three weeks after Awaab’s Law came into effect in late 2025, Labour Lambeth Council logged 347 cases of dangerous damp and mould hazards in its housing stock — 34 of which were classified as “emergency hazards” that pose immediate risk to residents’ health and safety.
Hundreds of tenants were already living with serious hazards before the legislation came into force — and millions of pounds are now being spent in legal costs and compensation rather than on proactively fixing homes. (brixtonbuzz.com)
Labour Lambeth’s response has been to ask people to stop suing the council rather than to fix the problem.
Liberal Democrats have been clear: leaflets telling tenants not to seek legal help do nothing to address the root causes of disrepair. Tenants pursue claims because repairs aren’t being carried out properly in the first place.
Asset sales, budget gaps — and what this means for residents
Adding to the concerns is the Council’s decision to sell off housing assets — including homes, garages and land — to plug gaps in the HRA which has a £40 million shortfall.
Instead of reinvesting in the repair and maintenance of existing homes, the Council’s strategy risks shrinking the social housing stock when so many households are waiting for decent, safe accommodation.
The Liberal Democrat plan
This crisis is not simply about one failed policy — it reflects a culture that has ignored tenants’ basic rights:
- Homes must be safe, warm and free from health hazards like mould.
- The Council should prioritise proactive repairs, not just responding when tenants take them to court.
- Assets should be used to support affordable housing, not sold off to plug financial holes caused by poor management.
The failures documented by the Housing Ombudsman and Freedom of Information responses are not just statistics — they represent families living in unsafe conditions while money that should fund homes is diverted into legal fees. Labour Lambeth’s residents deserve better.