The government has named and shamed Lambeth council for leaving tenants to suffer in "disgraceful conditions" across the borough.

Housing Secretary Michael Gove criticised Lambeth Council for "refusing to listen to complaints" or treat residents with "respect" in a letter to solicitors and voluntary groups. 

Gove demanded answers and action from the South London authority, which was blasted by housing watchdog – the Housing Ombudsman – last year for handling complaints poorly. Lambeth was ordered to pay a mum £950 by the ombudsman after it left her family living in a house with boarded up windows for three years. 

The South London council was criticised alongside Birmingham City Council and Orbit Housing – two other landlords whose complaints handling has previously come under fire from the watchdog.

Mr Gove said: "Each of these landlords have failed their tenants, letting people suffer in disgraceful conditions while refusing to listen to complaints or treat them with respect.

"Housing providers will have nowhere to hide once our Social Housing Bill becomes law early next year. A beefed-up Regulator will have the power to enter properties with only 48 hours' notice and make emergency repairs with landlords footing the bill."

In the letter addressed to the Law Society, Citizens Advice, and Housing Law Practitioners Association dated December 28, Gove urged them to direct social housing tenants with complaints to the Housing Ombudsman as priority to save residents time and money.

He added: "Every tenant deserves a decent home, and landlords must not use legal cases as an excuse to delay making repairs or act on complaints."

Lambeth Council said it had taken "positive action" in the ten months since the critical Housing Ombudsman report and called on Gove to give it the "powers and funding needed to improve conditions." 

Gove had already named and shamed 11 other landlords who had faced severe criticism for failings from the Housing Ombudsman. These include the London Borough of Hackney, Metropolitan Thames Valley Housing and Clarion. 

Cllr Timothy Windle, the council's cabinet member for housing and homelessness, said: "We have apologised to residents let down by poor repairs and handling of complaints and are taking action to improve services for all residents who live in Lambeth properties. 

"That includes replacing private contractors who weren't delivering for tenants, carrying out a stock condition survey of all properties to ensure repairs can take place pro actively and launching a new disrepair arbitration scheme that will better support residents get compensation when they have been let down.

 "Lambeth has one of the largest housing stocks in the country and therefore has particularly suffered the impact of 12 years of cuts in funding by the Conservative governments that Michael Gove has been a key part of."