The council is refunding £1.6m to tenants

Lambeth residents have been told to sign confidentiality clauses as a condition of receiving money owed for building work they were overcharged for.

Lambeth Council has paid almost £1.6 million in refunds to 136 residents over the past five years after charging residents for building work that was poorly executed or never undertaken.

As a condition of receiving the payments, affected residents were required to sign non-disclosure agreements (NDAs).

The council told the BBC this was “to avoid other leaseholders using arguments presented in separate and unrelated disputes”. This allows the board to manage disputes on a case-by-case basis.”

A council spokesman said: “As the landlord, the council is responsible for day-to-day repairs, maintenance and major works to our buildings to ensure they are safe for all our residents. Under the terms of their leases, the tenants, as well as the council, are required to pay part of the costs of this work.”