Ahmed Malik, an Ealing resident for over a decade, claims that he has been unable to access his home for almost four years after entering an agreement with Ealing Council. Malik owns a two-bedroom house where he raised his children and has stayed for over a decade, but for the last two years, Malik has been sleeping on sofas or in homeless shelters.  

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Ealing Council began the private sector leasing scheme, where property owners could lease their property to the Council to shelter vulnerable people in temporary homes. Malik, who was staying with relatives during the pandemic and not occupying his house, decided to participate in this scheme to help others during the crisis.  

The tenancy Malik signed would begin in April 2021 and last a year. However, after two years since the lease expired, Malik has not had his property returned to him.  

During the four years since Malik handed over his property to the Council and letting agency, Longstar Estates, the building has been treated poorly: mould has grown on the walls; the gardens are now unkept, messy, and overgrown with nettles; door locks are damaged; plastering is chipped, and rooms are left bare, resembling an abandoned building.  

Malik said: “This is my main residence, and they made me homeless. I gave them a lease during Covid times, but when I wanted it back, they wouldn’t give it to me.  

“It seemed like a good deal; they take it for a year, house someone homeless, and then return it in the same condition.”  

However, in his case, the property was in a worse condition than when he departed nearly four years ago. Malik told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS): “I handed over the notice to quit, and now I have to go to the courts.  

“I was sofa surfing for a while, and for months, I have been in a homeless shelter in Twickenham.”  

The Ealing Council website explains the scheme and states, “At the end of the tenancy if you do not wish to extend the lease, you will get back the property with vacant possession.”  

The Council also describes the process as” trouble-free” and offers “ongoing tenancy management—free of charge.” It states that any repairs to the property are the landlord’s responsibility.  

Malik claims that the property’s damage would cost him tens of thousands to repair and blames the Council for not ensuring the tenant respected and maintained his home.  

However, the Council and the tenant both say that Malik must share some of the blame as he was responsible for the flat’s initial condition, especially the ever-worsening mould problem.  

The tenant told LDRS: “I have wanted to (leave) for so long. The property is riddled with damp. I haven’t had a toilet for a year because it’s been broken. There are snails everywhere. It’s really, really bad.  

“Between us, he wants his property back, and I want to get out. I’ve been living in a hotel for three months (because) the ceiling collapsed. 

“I have complained about damp for two and a half years. I’m not going to take pride in a property where I have had to throw all my furniture in a bin.  

“We are living out of bags because everything I initially had got destroyed.”  

The tenant continues by stating that after three months of living in the house, the flat became “riddled with mould and damp” and made it “uninhabitable”.  

Although Malik and the tenant both want the same thing, the landlord has had to go through the courts, which the Council claims has been held up by repairs that Malik is required to carry out.  

A spokesperson for Ealing Council said: “We regret the long delay in returning Mr Malik’s property to him, which he let through our private sector leasing scheme. The property has been managed by a managing agent and let through them to a council tenant.  

“In cases like this, a legal process must take place to allow possession to be handled back to the owner and safeguard the tenant’s rights. Court delays due to the post-pandemic backlog have led to this process taking up to three years.  

“After a court hearing was finally scheduled, it became clear that there was recent damage to the building which required repairs, so the current tenant has been moved out to allow the repairs to be completed by the managing agents and landlord, further delaying the process. Legally, the works must be completed before court possession action can occur.”  

The spokesperson also added that the hearing was due for 5th July but has been pushed back because of the delays. It is hoped the delays will be ‘resolved as soon as possible’. Longstar Estates manages the property on behalf of the Council, but it is the Council’s duty and responsibility to evict the tenant.