A Kingston family who were stuck living in a hotel for nine months after their temporary accommodation flooded will receive nearly £5,000.

A watchdog investigation found Kingston Council at fault for the time it took to repair the family's flat so they could return, not offering them suitable alternative housing and poor communication.

The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman report said these faults caused the mum, referred to only as Ms B, the injustice of living in unsuitable accommodation with her three children and avoidable unnecessary distress.

It said the unsuitable living conditions likely made the health of one of her children, who has autism and epilepsy, worse.

The council moved the family into the flat as temporary accommodation in 2019. The flat suffered flood damage in 2023 caused by leaks from two flats above, which Ms B had repeatedly reported to the council.

A housing officer found a leak from one of the flats was getting worse in October 2023 and raised concerns for Ms B's children, which resulted in the family being moved into a hotel.

The watchdog ruled the flat had been unsuitable for the family to live in from mid-August onwards. Ms B then had to share a room and separate bathroom with her three children in the hotel.

The council booked breakfast and evening meals for the family, but the hotel did not have cooking facilities and she had to ask staff to warm bottles for her youngest children. The family had to rely on sandwiches or takeaway food for lunch.

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Asbestos found in building

The watchdog found the council was too slow to identify a leak from one of the flats, which meant Ms B experienced greater inconvenience than necessary before she had to leave.

It said all three flats contained asbestos building materials, which complicated and delayed repairs.

The ombudsman also said the hotel the family were moved into was unsuitable as they had to share a single room, with the cramped living conditions likely making her disabled child's health issues worse, and it had no cooking facilities.

It found no evidence the council considered the suitability of the hotel for the family.

The watchdog also found the council at fault for how long it took to repair the flat, which was not ready for the family to return to until July 2024.

When Ms B returned to the flat, she found water was still entering from above. This was fixed in August 2024.

The report said: "I considered the flooding caused to Ms B's flat would always have caused her distress, even if there was no fault in how the council or its contractor responded to it.

"Ms B faced understandable worry at the potential health impacts of water entering her flat. She faced damage and loss to her property and possessions. And she had the upheaval of moving out of the flat."

The council agreed to apologise to Ms B and pay her £4,800 for the injustice she was caused.

A Kingston Council spokesperson said: "We remain committed to ensuring our residents have safe, warm and secure homes. We acknowledge the Ombudsman's findings and accept that, in this case, our service did not meet the standards expected. We are sorry for the impact this had on Ms B and her family.

"We have accepted the Ombudsman's recommendations and are using this as an opportunity to learn and improve. The actions we are taking will help strengthen our services and ensure a better experience for residents in the future."

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