Faulty lifts force residents to sleep in lobby at London hotel housing people in temporary accommodation

London — Faulty lifts at the Waterloo Hub Hotel on Kennington Road have forced residents to sleep in the lobby, according to tenants living in temporary accommodation overseen by Camden and Westminster councils. The hotel, which houses dozens of people in need of housing, sits near Lambeth North station and has been the subject of ongoing concerns about conditions and safety.

A wheelchair-user who asked not to be named said he was told by the council to walk up the stairs, but “I am disabled.” Westminster council said it was investigating and expected the management company to urgently address the repairs, while Camden council said it was “very concerned” about the conditions at the hotel. The lifts have been intermittently operational, residents have claimed, and other reported problems include rats, broken fire safety doors, and delays in replacing broken microwaves. The Waterloo Hub Hotel has been approached for comment.

Johnson, who has a heart condition and a leg disability, said there were rats in the building, fire safety doors were broken and there had been delays in replacing broken microwaves. He added: “People have serious health conditions and nobody seems to care and... they are not taken as priority. Think about human beings that live in these sorts of places. Normal human beings who are sick, who have contributed a lot to this country, not just me. It’s not fair at all.” Rose, another resident, said staff were “rude,” food was “diabolical,” and bedbugs had left her “sad and depressed.” “I’ve been bitten all over. It’s a joke. I feel sorry for people who are in a lot worse situation than me and it’s sad to see,” she said. The identities of residents quoted in this story have been kept confidential at their request.

One-in-49 Londoners are categorized as homeless and in temporary accommodation, with the capital’s councils spending about £4 million a day on short-term housing. Last year, councils in England spent £2.8 billion on temporary accommodation — up by about a quarter on the previous year and more than double the amount five years ago. These figures provide broader context for the pressures on local authorities managing housing for vulnerable residents in London and across the country.

A Westminster council spokesperson said the authority has a responsibility to provide clean, safe, secure accommodation to people who are homeless and they were “very concerned to hear about the conditions of some of the rooms in this hotel.” The council said it is seeking broader reassurance that the accommodation meets the standards expected. A Camden council spokesperson said they “regularly visit and speak with residents staying at the hotel, whose welfare is our priority, and we are very concerned to hear about these issues raised. We have visited the hotel to urgently investigate these issues with the contractor responsible for maintaining the building and we are speaking to residents about the problems they are experiencing and the support they may need.”

The residents’ anonymity was requested by their legal representatives and kept in accordance with their wishes as the investigations continue. The incident highlights ongoing debates about the quality of emergency and temporary housing in London and the responsibility of local authorities and property managers to ensure safe and habitable conditions while residents await longer-term solutions.