Venesha Rose, a Lambeth Council tenant living in Gipsy Hill, says she suffered concussion, spinal spasms, and whiplash after the ceiling in her study collapsed on her and her nephew in August 2026. The collapse was the second time a ceiling had fallen in her three-bedroom home within eight months, and Ms Rose claims the underlying leak that caused the damage was never properly repaired.
Ceiling collapses twice in eight months
In January 2026, the family was placed in temporary accommodation after both a bedroom ceiling and the downstairs study ceiling collapsed. Ms Rose claims a council worker visited just hours before the collapse and told her there was no leak. She says she first complained about leaks at the property in 2024.
After returning home in May 2026 following the decant, Ms Rose complained that repairs had not been done properly. She told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS): "When we returned home, the electrics were all hanging [out], they still are. The water was turned off and then as soon as they turned it back on, the property was still leaking. So they hadn't done any repairs."
Injuries and hospital treatment
On August 27, while she and her nephew were emptying boxes in the study, the ceiling collapsed on them. A GP note seen by the LDRS shows Ms Rose suffered a concussion headache, lower back pain, bruising, and pain throughout her neck as a result. She alleges a piece of wood went into her nephew's leg, which may leave a permanent scar.
A Lambeth Council spokesperson said they were "shocked and saddened" to hear of the injuries, but claimed they had not been provided with any information relating to this previously. However, the LDRS has seen emails showing Ms Rose had informed the council about her and her nephew's injuries.
Daughter falls down stairs in darkness
Due to faulty electrics, most of the upstairs is in darkness, and fire alarms have been disconnected because they contain water from the leaks. On Monday, September 28, Ms Rose's three-year-old daughter fell down the stairs because there were no working lights.
Ms Rose said: "Because it's pitch black and there's no lights, all of her knees are grazed up and she's got a graze on her forehead. It's just not safe. Everyone I send pictures to of this house, they say, 'I can't believe you're in the UK and you're living like this'."
Dispute over energy credit and Right to Buy
Ms Rose is also in dispute with the council over gas and electricity charges and has complained to the Financial Ombudsman. Before the decant, her gas was £350 in credit and electricity £650 in credit. When she moved back in, she claims her gas was £200 in debt and electricity £150 in debt.
Ms Rose, who lives with disabilities, says she always tops up with extra credit because her house is very cold. She also normally looks after a foster child, but he is unable to stay there due to the property's condition. She said: "He's in temporary respite until they either permanently decant us or repair [the property]. But this has been going on for 10 months, they haven't repaired here."
Ms Rose hopes to buy her council home through the Right to Buy process, but this has been paused until the house can be valued and is in a saleable condition. A Lambeth Council spokesperson said they were aware of the repairs needed and have been in touch "several times" with Ms Rose, including visiting her home and undertaking works. They added: "Our senior surveyor visited the property immediately after the ceiling collapse five weeks ago and we have been working to repair this since. We have an appointment with Ms Rose to attend her property on Thursday [October 9] and look forward to resolving the last remaining issues."
