A Redbridge Council spokesperson told the BBC it expects all landlords to provide accommodation of an acceptable standard and in this case would urgently inspect the premises and speak to the tenants about their concerns.
It added that it would expect the landlord to work with the council to urgently carry out any necessary remedial works.
The BBC attempted to contact the landlord for comment through the council but has not received a response.
Alongside higher rates of no-fault evictions and increased rents, cost of living pressures and immigration have created a perfect storm for the temporary accommodation system.
Councils in England spent more than £1bn on temporary accommodation in 2023-24, an increase of more than 50% on the year before. The costs were driven by a record 117,450 households in short-term housing, including more than 150,000 children.
Redbridge Council says it spent £52m on temporary accommodation last year, a figure they describe as “staggering” and “simply unsustainable”.
“The stark reality is that we can no longer afford to keep people in temporary accommodation due to London’s exorbitant private rental market,” the council said.
Three days later and it is eviction day for Romel Peters. But first she has to take her sons to school – she’s decided not to tell them they might not be coming back here.
“I didn’t want to create worry. They’ve literally just started back at school, so I want them to focus on settling in.” Her own stress levels however are “through the roof. I haven’t slept”.
As Romel goes back inside the guest house, other residents emerge. They have ended up here for a variety of reasons.
One woman, aged 65, says she’s been in Willow Lodge for three years, while the residents of two other rooms have been sent here by the Home Office.
The two families, a Sudanese man with two children and a woman from Pakistan with a 10-year-old-son, have recently been given the right to remain in the UK after having their asylum applications accepted.
Saina, from Islamabad, says she’s grateful the country has taken them in. She doesn’t know anyone in the UK and would move anywhere they could “start their lives” as long as her son continues to receive counselling for his mental health problems.
Hours before she is due to leave, Romel Peters receives a call from Redbridge Council. They have had a substantial change of heart and are hopeful of being able to help her find a permanent two-bed property in the area within a few days.
“I’m relieved. It’s frustrating that it’s taken this long to get the support but I’m looking forward to the future,” she says as she brings her boys home from school and tells them the happy news.
But a week later, Romel and her sons are homeless, forced to sofa-surf with family members. The council has stopped paying for their stay at Willow Lodge – and its offer to help find a new home hasn’t yet come to anything. The uncertainty of homelessness continues, and like thousands of other families across England, it all started with a no-fault eviction.
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