NSW should compensate elderly woman whose public housing was inundated with sewage, ombudsman finds
Summary
An elderly woman living in public housing in New South Wales had her home flooded with sewage multiple times. The government agency responsible failed to properly care for or compensate her belongings, but after an investigation, it agreed to fully compensate her and improve its policies.Key Facts
- The woman lived in the unit for over 15 years and experienced three sewage floods within three months.
- After being relocated, her contaminated belongings were boxed up and moved without cleaning or returning them to her.
- Homes NSW told her she would be involved in decisions about her belongings and assured her of compensation.
- The insurer denied liability and offered only a small goodwill payment due to incomplete information from Homes NSW.
- The NSW Ombudsman found Homes NSW acted unreasonably and gave several recommendations, including a full apology and compensation.
- Homes NSW accepted the recommendations and will implement them by next month.
- The Ombudsman highlighted poor communication and the failure to consider the tenant’s detailed list of possessions and their value.
- Homes NSW has made changes to how repair requests are handled to improve tenant satisfaction.
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