Tenants and residents of Home Group’s Douglas Bader Park (DBP) estate in Colindale, North West London claim the housing association is flouting both criminal and civil laws in order to push through a redevelopment scheme. The regeneration is partially funded by £17 million from the Mayor of London.
Home Group has woken up to the fact that DBP is prime land, and evidently wish to exploit this situation. But there is one problem – social housing is on this land and this means they first have to eject the tenants. This has now put the social landlord into a pitched battle with those they house.
Douglas Bader Park residents’ association is resisting bad practice by Home Group
Resident resistance to some of Home Group’s plans has led the landlord to breach criminal and civil laws, and to mislead residents, rather than engage with them properly to find solutions.
Misleading Residents
The landlord stands accused of misleading residents from the start. Andrea* says:
“They withheld information from the residents when they first approached them regarding the available options. They did this to ensure we voted for the regeneration scheme. They made sure they engaged with us often through coffee mornings and evening meetings. Then they gave us a booklet in which they said there were only three options available”
The options outlined to residents were to maintain the estate and make repairs as needed, to redevelop parts of the site, or to undergo a comprehensive renewal of the entire estate. But Andrea says:
“Home Group failed to mention that there is another option. In order to deal with the problems of this type of construction, a type of skin can be put over properties to improve the structural integrity and make it mortgageable. Therefore, there would be no need for redevelopment of the estate. “
Residents believe that they should have been allowed to make a decision based on all the information.
Financial Squeeze
The cost-of-living crisis has affected many of the DBP residents, but all were given assurances that they would remain on the same rent levels and tenancy terms. Some however have already been sent letters with an increase in their rents despite moving into homes of the same specification as their old properties.
In a further financial squeeze, Home Group has also sought to avoid making ‘Disturbance Payments’ to residents. These are required by law to cover expenses arising from rehousing in order for construction work to take place.
Not Caring
One of Home Group’s mission values according to the website is to be a caring landlord, yet the organisation has shown little empathy for residents as it sets its sights on the financial gains to be made from regeneration.
One resident was moved into a home without a usable bathroom and was expected to use their neighbour’s facilities. This is just one example of properties being signed off as fit for temporary housing even though they were not. Other examples include homes which lacked water, heating, and functioning boilers. Many had problems with windows and doors. One property was even infested with rodents but the resident was still told to move there.
Andrea continues:
“Residents were threatened with eviction if they did not move within a certain time frame, even though properties were not fully refurbished.”
Initially, the residents were involved in the building design, but this ceased as soon as the residents voted to accept the regeneration proposals. The designs were also altered from those initially agreed with residents. Residents claim both to be a breach of the Mayor of London’s good practice guide which emphasises that residents should be involved throughout the design of regenerated homes.
Disability Discrimination
Some of the existing scheme’s disabled residents have found their disabilities downgraded in order to evade the need to make reasonable adjustments.
All residents were asked to declare any disabilities by April 2023. Those who missed this deadline or whose disabilities developed after this date have been told they will need to wait until after they have moved into their new properties and then contact their housing manager to ask for an assessment.
Residents counter that this unnecessary delay is contrary to the Equality Act 2010 because it prolongs the risk or ill health of a person who is particularly vulnerable to harm.
Home Group is happy to make promises about caring for its ‘customers’ but appears incapable of living up to its proclaimed high standards when there is gold to be made from their homes.
Andrea reports that
“One resident was told by Home Group that they could not adequately assess their mental health condition, so they ignored the doctor’s recommendation for an appropriate property.”
For some disabled residents, Home Group waited until a member of staff witnessed a medical episode before authorising an adjustment for the disabled person. Clearly the policy of waiting until harm is caused is a dangerous one because it damages the disabled person’s mental health and physical health and well-being.
Resident Resistance
Residents conclude that Home Group wants to capitalise on the booming housing economy in London. They deliberately steered residents to vote for a full demolition of the estate, and railroaded them into accepting unsuitable temporary homes.
Disabled residents have found their needs for reasonable adjustments discarded in order to push through a redevelopment programme. To rub salt in the wound, the regeneration benefits from a significant chunk of taxpayers’ money.
As plans develop, residents are increasingly shut out of the process, and some have been financially penalised by missing out on payments that were due to them, and through higher rents.
The residents are determined to hold Home Group to account and are being supported by SHAC.
* Andrea is not her real name.
28 March 2024
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Home Group are not only greedy they are being totally unreasonable as peoples disabilities aren’t going to conveniently align with their corporate spreadsheets or agenda. Reasonable adjustments must be provided unless they are excessively burdensome or financially ruinous . It’s certainly not for housing providers to dictate the days on which their residents are disabled. Furthermore, when people evidence their disabilities medically and make a formal reasonable adjustment request, this ought to eliminate the need for further assessments or should lead to immediate, retroactive compensation in cases of delayed reimbursement. Unfortunately , many landlords and Home Group may well be one of them , persist in perceiving disabled tenants as burdensome ,unreasonable and difficult and rely on their complaints departments and solicitors to push back against their reasonable adjustment requests and rebuff them.
This reality was adeptly sidestepped in the Housing Ombudsman’s May 2023 KIM Report, which endorsed a purely voluntary approach.with its emphasis on ‘vulnerabilities ‘ not specifically protected under the Equality Act 2010. This approach permits if not practically encourages heavy handed landlords to continue to problematise disabled residents and trivialize or ignore disabilities in the way they are being downgraded here by Home Group.
It remains to be seen what will happen when the Ombudsman’s Complaint Handling Code becomes legally binding but chances are, it wont make much difference and many social housing providers, especially those based in and around London and the larger, more corporatized entities. simply aren’t going to stop treating disabled residents in this way until one of them faces prosecution for disability discrimination, incurs a massive financial hit that really hurts them , a public backlash, and the dismissal of the CEO not the two week rehabilitation period L&Q CEO Fiona Fletcher Smith faced for L&Q’s disgusting treatment of residents with disabilities and mental health issues.
Perhaps Home Group will be the one..