8 hours ago
Lewisham nan lived in home ‘with no heating or hot water' before dying
A Lewisham family is fighting to keep their home following the death of their matriarch nan, who lived there for nearly 40 years.
Lou Abbott moved into her Lewisham home in the late 1980s and lived there until her death in 2025.
Lou Abbott (Image: Shannon Abbott)
At the time of her death, the property was in poor condition, with unresolved heating and safety issues.
Lou's granddaughter, Shannon Abbott, told the News Shopper: 'Lewisham Council's contractor came to the home to do a standard gas safety check.
'The man was in and out in about 10 minutes, but we didn't know if that's how long a gas safety check usually takes.
'The next morning, the carbon monoxide alarm went off.'
Contractors returned promptly after the alarm went off to cap the gas and provide temporary heating solutions, including a hot plate and electric heaters.
However, the family was informed that it would take eight days for a full repair of the boiler to be completed.
Lou suffered from with COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) and was therefore on the priority list.
Shannon, 20, added: 'When the repair workers came, they told us the boiler was over 20-years-old and couldn't be replaced there and then.
'So that prolonged the whole situation, leaving my nan without hot water and heating.'
Rubble inside the boiler prevented it from working, causing further delays.
Soon after, Lou was hospitalised.
Shannon explained: 'My nan was taken to hospital due to health complications.
'We are not trying to say that the council caused her death, as she did have secondary breast cancer.
'However, we do believe that it definitely contributed to it, because she already had poor health as it is.
'Living in that condition was only going to make it worse, and the last moments she spent in the house, she was greeted with unfair treatment from Lewisham Council.'
Lou passed away on February 14, at the age of 73.
The boiler at Lou's property remained unfixed until weeks after she had passed.
Now, Lewisham Council is reviewing whether to reclaim the tenancy under their Succession Policy.
She said: 'Nan was the sole tenant on record, even though my uncle is living down there.
'They are trying to say that nobody is entitled to live there and they won't rehome the people that currently live there because they're not priority.'
The Abbott family have been going back-and-forth with Lewisham Council since February and as of June 19, no final decision has been made.
Kelly, Lou's daughter and Shannon's mum, continues to appeal the decision, though Shannon says Lewisham Council us 'very reluctant to take accountability for the negligence' as Lou was a vulnerable person.
To push for change, Shannon started a petition to help her family keep the home.
Shannon described her grandmother as a loving mother of 12 and family matriarch who was unbothered by housing several relatives.
Lou Abbott and her husband (Image: Shannon Abbott)
Shannon and her husband cherished their garden, spending countless summer days hosting family barbecues and celebrations beneath the open sky.
She often took her grandchildren and great-grandchildren outside to pick apples from her beloved tree, tidy up the garden, and plant flowers together.
(Image: Shannon Abbott)
Shannon emphasised that the family is deeply committed to keeping the home, which holds far more meaning than just bricks and mortar.
She said how fulfilling her grandmother's last wish to keep the property is their driving motivation, and the family is fighting hard to make that happen.
The News Shopper asked Lewisham Council, who admitted delays and shortcomings in their service to Lou but denied responsibility for her death or the family's tenancy dispute.
A spokesperson for Lewisham Council said: 'We extend our deepest condolences to the family and appreciate that dealing with Council bureaucracy at such a time is an added burden.
'However, we are legally bound to follow our Succession Policy when deciding if a tenancy can be passed on to a member of a tenant's family.
'It is a question of fairness for all tenants and making sure housing is available for those who are in most need in the borough.
'Although we denied the application we received, we have been asked to review this decision and are waiting on new information to enable us to do so.
'We are extremely sorry for the delay in replacing Mrs Abbott's boiler in the period before she was admitted to hospital.
'The family made a formal complaint to us which prompted a full investigation, the details of which we have provided to them.
'Our service was not to the standard our residents should expect, especially given Mrs Abbott's vulnerable condition, and there were certainly opportunities missed to complete the works sooner.
'Mrs Abbott was provided with alternative heating and cooking options, and vouchers to help with costs, but we accept that these were inadequate, and we were not responsive enough to the family's concerns.'
