A mother in north London has been awarded more than £7,000 because she and her three children were left in bed and breakfast accommodation for nearly 18 months after being made homeless.
Her support worker told the council that this had had affected their physical and mental health, as well as disrupting the children's education.
An investigation by the Local Government Ombudsman (LGO) found that the family were living in the bed and breakfast accommodation for a total of 75 weeks - far beyond the legal limit of 6 weeks.
Brent Council has agreed to pay £6,900 for the weeks they were there over the limit, as well as an additional £350 for the "distress and uncertainty" due to failures by the local authority.
The LGO report concluded that the council failed to "properly explore alternative housing options". The mum, referred to as Miss B, and her family had been made homeless in August 2022 but did not move into a permanent new place until February 2024.
During their time in emergency accommodation, the family were provided with two rooms on different floors and had to share kitchen and bathroom facilities with six other households. They also experienced problems with the provider not keeping the gas topped up, which caused the family "distress and inconvenience", according to the report.
The council had already made a payment of £5,500 to Miss B but the Ombudsman increased the amount by an additional £1,400 - which equates to £100 for each week beyond the six-week legal limit and takes into account the poor housing conditions.
The report also found the council failed to consider two-bedroom permanent properties, which would have been affordable for Miss B.
Miss B's support worker, referred to as Miss X, complained to the Ombudsman on her behalf, citing the mental and physical effect the 17-month stay had on the family. She also felt that Miss B had been denied housing in London, which had caused her further stress and impacted her children's schooling.
In May 2023, having already been living in the emergency accommodation nine months, Miss X asked the council to move to alternative housing but was told it was "doing all it could" to find somewhere but Miss B's benefit cap "was a barrier" to finding something affordable in the area she wanted, according to the report.
Miss X then asked the council to explore the private rented sector but was once again told there was nothing affordable available unless Miss B "became exempt from the benefit cap". The local authority listed six properties in the private sector that it deemed unaffordable, which prompted Miss X to file a formal complaint after questioning why three of them had not been considered affordable to Miss B.
After being dissatisfied with the council's response, Miss B's solicitors issued a pre-action protocol letter indicating their intention to start judicial review proceedings against the council for its "failure to provide the family with suitable accommodation".
In its response, the local authority provided the details of two potential properties, neither of which were in the areas Miss B wanted to live.
Brent Council then formally offered one of the properties to Miss B - a three-bedroom house located between 25 and 30 miles from her children's school and colleges - which she moved into in February. However, she did not consider it suitable and a review was requested. The council completed the review in October but found that it was suitable for her needs.
A Brent Council spokesperson said: "We sincerely apologise to Miss B for the disruption and distress caused by the delay in providing suitable accommodation. We acknowledge the shortcomings identified in this case and have offered financial compensation in recognition of the impact on Miss B and her family.
"In response, we are making sure staff are aware of the maximum time families can stay in B&B accommodation and are actively monitoring this to help ensure timely moves into more suitable housing. We are also reviewing options for sourcing accommodation for applicants affected by out-of-area placements or the benefit cap and identifying the causes of delays in suitability reviews to implement measures that prevent future delays."
