United Nations human rights experts have issued a damning indictment of one of England's largest social landlords, alleging it has systematically failed to ensure its rental properties are habitable. The accusation centres on the harrowing case of a disabled tenant in east London, whose family endured years of neglect.
A Decade of Disrepair and Distress
Sanjay Ramburn, 55, lived with his family of five in a property owned by the L&Q group in Forest Gate, east London. For several years, the family had no electricity and suffered through four separate ceiling collapses alongside severe damp and mould. The conditions severely impacted their health, with the children developing breathing issues, tinnitus, and skin problems.
Ramburn, who reported experiencing racial harassment and antisocial behaviour from an upstairs neighbour that he says L&Q failed to address, suffered severe mental health issues as a result of the ordeal. He moved into the flat in December 2013 and described a relentless cycle of disrepair.
"I started to get water from my kitchen and half the ceiling collapsed," Ramburn said. "I was waiting nearly four years without half the ceiling in the kitchen and then in 2017 the other half collapsed. Then they came, they fixed the ceiling but when they fixed it at the same time the bathroom ceiling collapsed."
UN Intervention and Inadequate Offers
The letter from UN Special Rapporteur on adequate housing, Balakrishnan Rajagopal, and two other experts states that in November 2023, a ceiling collapsed in the living room, injuring Ramburn, his son, and his youngest daughter. Following this, L&Q offered Ramburn compensation of £2,271, an offer he rejected as "wholly inadequate".
The UN letter states: "L&Q and several other residential developers and housing associations managing social housing in England appear to systematically fail to ensure or restore the habitability of their rentals … we wish to express our serious concern that the delayed, insufficient or lack of action by L&Q … may be having a significantly negative impact on the enjoyment of their human rights, particularly the right to an adequate standard of living, including housing."
In September 2023, the family was offered temporary rehousing in another L&Q building while repairs were conducted on their original flat. Ramburn reluctantly accepted despite the temporary accommodation having only one small bedroom for five people and potential maintenance issues.
Landlord Response and Regulatory Context
Matt Foreman, Executive Group Director of Customer Services at L&Q, apologised for the difficulties experienced by Ramburn. "We are working closely with him to resolve the situation and have made several offers of temporary accommodation in the area so we can complete the repairs needed," he said. He added that L&Q operates within the UK's social housing regulatory framework, which provides routes for resident complaints.
This is not the first time L&Q has faced scrutiny. In 2023, the housing ombudsman ordered L&Q to pay £142,000 to residents after identifying a "prolonged period of decline" in its services.
A spokesperson for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government responded: "These claims are shocking and our sympathy goes out to Mr Ramburn and his family. We are clear housing providers must provide safe and decent homes for residents… Through Awaab’s law we are taking decisive action to crack down on unsafe conditions like damp and mould."
