A South London family-of-three was moved into a flat with no flooring, broken locks, no working oven and an unsafe boiler after spending nearly 11 months in Travelodge.

Russel Harland, 50, his wife Selma Agirgol-Harland, 45, and daughter, 14, were finally offered long-term temporary accommodation by Kingston Council that they felt suited their needs after months of delays, but faced more hurdles as they were left without vital appliances.

Mr Harland told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) the offer came after waiting more than five months for the outcome of a suitability review on a previous property they had been offered, which they said was unsuitable, after the independent reviewer requested multiple extensions. He described the council's treatment of his family as 'outrageous' and raised concerns for people in similar situations.

The council responded to a Freedom of Information request, submitted by the LDRS, which revealed it has placed increasing numbers of families with kids in B&B or hotel accommodation in recent years – from zero in the 2018/19 financial year to 24 in 2021/22, 88 in 2022/23 and 151 in 2023/24. Families who left B&B or hotel accommodation in 2019/20 had spent an average of 24 days there, while this rose to 227 days in 2022/23 – more than seven months – and fell to 52 days in 2023/24.

Mr Harland says him and his family 'were losing the will to live' being stuck in Tolworth Travelodge. (Photo: Facundo Arrizabalaga/MyLondon)

The Harland family ultimately spent 47 weeks living in a cramped room in Travelodge Chessington Tolworth. They were plunged into homelessness on 17 July, 2023, as their landlord wanted to sell the property they had been living in for 13 years once their tenancy ended. Despite both parents working full-time, they could not find anywhere affordable to rent and were moved into the hotel that evening.

Mr Harland told the LDRS in December they felt 'abandoned' by the council after struggling to receive basic updates about their housing situation. Six months later, he said this never changed and no housing officer ever got in touch despite him sending weekly emails and asking for updates.

He said: "We were losing the will to live… it was very, very difficult for the four of us, counting the dog too, you could even see the poor dog was getting depressed, so it's just awful. It leaves a residue with you. We're absolutely knackered. We're emotionally drained and I've had the last couple of weeks off work with stress because I was finally just reaching the end of it."

The council offered the family a two-bed flat in Mitcham, in the Merton borough, on 4 December. They requested a review of the property's suitability after viewing it, as they said it was too far from their daughter's school and it would not be safe for her to walk to the train station.

Councils must notify applicants of the outcome of a suitability review within eight weeks of the request, according to Shelter. Applicants can agree to an extension of the deadline or appeal to court if they are not provided with a decision in this timeframe.

The independent company carrying out the review on behalf of Kingston requested multiple extensions to the deadline and did not provide its final decision that the property was suitable until 29 May, more than five months after the family's request. In the same email, the reviewer confirmed the council had offered the family alternative long-term temporary accommodation in Surbiton.

Mr Harland said he feels the suitability review process is a 'trap' which suits councils as it allows them to prolong providing a final decision, while the wait puts pressure on families to give up. He had planned to take legal action when the reviewer asked for a fourth deadline extension in April, but he claimed that if he did this and the decision was provided before the hearing, that hearing would be null and void and he could not go to court again to appeal it.

He said: "They're trapping people and for them it's a win-win situation, they can keep pushing things into the long grass where… families get fed up."

The boiler had been condemned as unsafe when the family moved into the flat. (Photo: Facundo Arrizabalaga/MyLondon)

A Kingston Council spokesperson told the LDRS: "We recognise that the review took longer than expected, a provisional decision [was] reported back in March and there is provision for agreed extensions in the process where either party requires more time. We believe the review process is an important one and ultimately it found the original offer and property was suitable."

The family accepted the alternative offer of long-term temporary accommodation in Surbiton and moved into the two-bed flat, managed by the council, on 10 June. But Mr Harland said they were left feeling unsafe as the boiler had been condemned, locks on the doors were broken and the oven did not work.

After a month of waiting without hot water, a new boiler was fitted on 8 July. A council spokesperson said the home is self-contained and therefore unfurnished, and confirmed it is working with the family to address other issues – including replacing the oven.

But Mr Harland raised concerns the council is not properly inspecting accommodation it sources for homeless families. He described how it had been distressing to fight for basic appliances after spending so long trapped in a hotel room, while the family continues to live in uncertainty as they are on a non-secure tenancy. At the same time, they must invest in the flat to make it liveable – including using credit to get flooring and furniture as some of their belongings could not fit.

He said: "It needs that investment… the normal necessities like a floor and a working kitchen, but we don't get any security out of it… after all of that insecurity and instability of being in a hotel room."

The Surbiton flat also lacked flooring, requiring the family to buy some themselves using credit. (Photo: Facundo Arrizabalaga/MyLondon)

The dad is also worried about the long-term impact of living in temporary accommodation on his daughter, who he described as going through a series of 'mini traumas'. He said: "There's too many children from that hotel leaving for school. It's outrageous. Think of all the social shame and anxiety that it's giving these children leaving hotel rooms. Where's their space? Our daughter has spent her first teenage year in a hotel room, how can politicians and council workers not be embarrassed?"

He added: "We really fear for other families and other children in regards to health inequality, educational inequality. This is really widening the gap so we are absolutely fearful that, unless… some effort is made, that many people through no fault of their own… are going to be put into an intolerable situation that decision-makers wouldn't find acceptable for their own children."

A council spokesperson said: "We are committed to doing all we can to provide quality housing for residents and ensure people in the borough have a safe and comfortable place to live. The national housing crisis is a critical situation, with demand for properties increasingly outstripping supply.

"Across London, there has been a 40 per cent drop in landlords letting their properties to councils. In Kingston we are currently supporting close to 1,000 families with temporary accommodation, but remain focused on actively and practically tackling the homelessness crisis."

They added: "Across the borough we are working hard to address the national housing crisis. We are currently undertaking a major regeneration on the Cambridge Road Estate to deliver 2,170 homes, including 871 council homes. This includes an extra 104 council homes announced this year over and above the original plan. The scheme will deliver 254 council homes in the first phase of the project. We are also delivering a small sites programme which will provide a further 101 new council homes.

"These are the first new council homes built in the borough in almost 40 years."