Council Lost Evicted Vulnerable Woman's Possessions
Watchdog orders compensation be paid after string of failures
The council failed to inform the removal company of the urgency of collecting her belongings. Picture: AI generated
July 13, 2026
A woman lost all of her belongings when she was evicted from her home after Hounslow Council promised to look after them – instead they all got thrown away.
The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has ordered Hounslow Council to pay the vulnerable woman compensation following a number of failings including the handling of the eviction.
The woman, referred to as Miss X in the report, has social care needs which post-eviction were initially met by her family and friends. She later applied to the council for support, and the council carried out an assessment which recorded she had several health conditions that affected her day-to-day life.
The assessment found that Miss X’s needs meant she was unable to manage and maintain good nutrition, maintain her personal hygiene, dress herself appropriately, or use her home safely among other things.
In spring 2024, Miss X’s landlord issued an eviction notice. She applied to the council, which accepted it owed her the ‘prevention duty’ meaning the council should take steps to stop her becoming homeless. By September 2024, the notice had expired and there was no evidence Miss X’s landlord planned to proceed with the eviction.
As a result, the council ended the prevention duty and closed Miss X’s case. In mid-October 2024, Miss X received a notice that her landlord had applied to court for a possession order.
In mid-March 2025, Miss X reapplied to Hounslow Council for help. Two weeks later, the court issued a possession order. The local authority accepted it owed Miss X the ‘relief duty’ – acting to house her now she was officially homeless – and issued a Personal Housing Plan which deemed that Miss X needed a one-bed property.
In early April, Miss X asked the council’s adult social care team if she could have help packing ready for when she would be evicted. The council sent Miss X the details of a company which could help her.
Miss X was evicted by bailiffs on May 16, 2025. She initially went to stay with family, and on the same day, the council booked her a room at a hotel, as interim accommodation.
She asked if she could have a DHP (Discretionary Housing Payment) to cover the costs of packing and moving. The council’s adult social team said that was not possible, as it said DHPs are not for that purpose.
Rather than providing appropriate housing, the council moved Miss X between three temporary properties. Despite the council being aware of her documented mobility issues, they placed her in properties that did not meet her physical needs – including accommodation with stairs that she could not safely manage.
Miss X was left in these unsuitable conditions for a prolonged period, which the Ombudsman ruled caused her a severe risk of harm and led to a deterioration in her health. The majority of the final £7,100 compensation was awarded to recognise the extensive time she was forced to live in these unsuitable homes.
When Miss X was evicted from her home, the council explicitly told her to leave her packed bags in her room, promising they would arrange for a removal company to collect them for storage – but the council failed to inform the removal company that this was an urgent eviction.
As a result, the removal company arrived several days late. By the time they arrived, the landlord had already disposed of everything. Miss X lost absolutely all of her possessions. – this included essential items like clothing, and toiletries.
Hounslow Council was forced to apologise to Miss X and compensate her to the sum of £7,100. This included £500 for her lost belongings and £300 for the distress caused.
Hounslow Council was contacted for comment but failed to respond by the time of publication.
Philip James Lynch - Local Democracy Reporter
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