My wife, the daughter of a Windrush émigré, is a long-term social housing tenant with L&Q. Since we plan for her elderly parents to move in with us, we applied to swap her two-bedroom flat for a three-bedroom one via housing association L&Q’s mutual exchange scheme. The property we chose was in a poor state of repair, but had potential. It took 18 months for the exchange to complete, during which time we were required to fill out forms confirming the condition of our property and our relationship with our neighbours, as did the other tenant who confirmed all was in order.
On moving day in April 2022, we were immediately doorstepped by our new neighbour, who informed us we were there illegally, and tried to stop us moving in. The flat itself had fallen into a dreadful state of disrepair. Live wires dangled from the walls, the plaster was rotten and the ceilings near collapse. It transpired the previous tenant had illegally let it as a house of multiple occupancy. L&Q told us to put in a works request, then proceeded to ignore us.
Meanwhile, we had to check into a hotel until we had paid builders to replaster the bedrooms, and a cleaning firm to sanitise the flat. The neighbour continued to abuse us with verbal and physical threats, and we discovered that she had previously been arrested for threatening neighbours. Eventually, we threatened L&Q with legal action, and, only then, did it start major works. It promptly found traces of asbestos, and we were then told that we had to move out immediately.
We were due to get married at the end of the month, and were given alternative accommodation miles from our old and new homes on our return from our honeymoon. Weeks passed, and we discovered that the contractors were also abused by the neighbour, and that some had even refused to return.
In April 2023, eight months after we had been moved out, we were told the works were complete and were given just three days to vacate our temporary accommodation. There were still holes in the floors and walls, exposed wiring and no heating or hot water. Moreover, police had advised us that the neighbour was a safeguarding risk. A year on, we have still not dared to move back in and rely on friends and family to put us up while still paying £639 a month in rent.
SD, London
Your horrendous ordeal shines a light on the mutual exchange process which allows eligible social housing tenants to swap properties. It’s an invaluable service when it works well, but relies on the goodwill and integrity of both parties. It also relies on an effective landlord whose duty it is to ensure properties are safe and habitable. Your new flat was neither, and L&Q appears to have failed dismally.
It stirred itself when I first got in touch in December, and contractors were redeployed. It wasn’t until March that a technician discovered the boiler was leaking gas and capped the supply. L&Q’s scanty terms and conditions on mutual exchange state tenants accept properties “as seen”. However, that does not absolve it of basic legal responsibilities, such as ensuring gas boilers are certified and the integral structure sound.
It transpires that L&Q stopped inspecting homes before exchange during the pandemic and neglected to resume. You exchanged in April 2022, nine months after all Covid restrictions were lifted. When I began investigating in December, physical inspections by qualified staff were still not mentioned in the T&Cs. After I questioned this, a line was added saying site visits “may” be carried out.
Matt Foreman, executive group director of customer service, says: “The mutual exchange was agreed between residents in a period where, as a result of the pandemic, our policy had changed to be conditional on tenants submitting a home condition checklist. We have since returned to carrying out physical inspections when requests are made.
“We recognise that we could have acted more quickly to reduce the disruption and distress caused to SD after the exchange, and will be reviewing our policy accordingly. We will continue to work to rectify any outstanding issues.”
As for your neighbour, who has since allegedly abused one of L&Q’s own housing officers, it says it can’t comment on individual cases but takes “proportionate action” when antisocial behaviour is reported.
Although the flat is finally habitable, you feel you are no further forward since your wife is too scared to live alongside the threatening neighbour. You demanded a refund of the £7,000-plus in rent you paid from the date you were forced to leave your temporary accommodation. Instead, L&Q has offered £170 for the distress, inconvenience, and the time taken to get the complaint resolved.
You could take your case to the Housing Ombudsman, which tells me it expects properties to be inspected by landlords before a mutual exchange, and reports of antisocial behaviour to be investigated. However, your wife has been so badly affected by the ordeal you have, instead, agreed another mutual exchange.
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