In June, we published a decision about The City of Edinburgh Council having failed to ensure a property was in a reasonable condition before a disabled tenant moved in.
This month, we have published another case where a vulnerable tenant was offered a property that was not fit to let.
A carer, on behalf of the tenant who had visual, physical and severe mental health difficulties, raised issues including suspected mould, prior to starting the tenancy. Despite being given access to the property, the tenant did not move in, as the issues remained unresolved 12 weeks later and they did not consider the property to be habitable.
Our investigation found that the council failed to follow its own processes. It did not ensure a formal dampness report was provided and failed to properly consider whether the property met its own letting standards. We also found shortcomings in the council's complaint handling, with inaccurate and inconsistent responses, particularly in relation to the issue of mould.
As a result, we made recommendations to help ensure the council has effective processes in place to confirm properties meet the required standard before being offered to prospective tenants and that reports of mould are responded to appropriately.