ICO and RSH informed after 12000 residents affected by cyberattack at London housing association

Two regulators have been informed after major London landlord L&Q was the victim of a cyberattack that affected 12,000 residents.

The 105,000- association has informed both the Information Commissioner’s Office and Regulator of Social Housing due to the nature of the incident.

The landlord’s website is currently unavailable apart from the details of staff for affected residents to call following the attack and a couple of short paragraphs explaining the situation.

L&Q’s website reads: “As a result of this incident our website, including online services for residents, are currently unavailable, and may continue being so for some time until we are confident we can restore the website safely and securely. We’re sorry for any inconvenience this may cause.

“Directly affected residents have been contacted by email. If you have not received a message from us, you will not have been affected by this issue. Our thorough investigation so far indicates that no residents’ financial information, such as bank details, have been accessed.

“Our wider databases containing residents’ personal information and operational information, such as details of our interactions with residents their or tenancy, also remain secure.”

The association went on to explain that this targeted incident resulted in an unauthorised person or organisation accessing emails or webform messages sent to L&Q by “approximately” 12,000 residents. Directly affected residents were contacted by email last week.

On its website, L&Q added: “So far, we’ve had no reports of anyone attempting to use this information maliciously, however there is an increased risk of fraud attempts and phishing by email because of this incident.”

Fiona Fletcher-Smith, chief executive of L&Q, said: “We are currently responding to a targeted cyber security incident that has affected L&Q’s website.

“As soon as we detected the issue, our information security team took immediate steps to isolate and secure our website, and we are now carrying out a comprehensive investigation to understand how this happened, and ensure we can restore the site safely and securely as soon as possible.

“The incident resulted in emails and webforms sent to us by approximately 12,000 residents being accessed without authorisation. Our investigation so far indicates that the incident is limited to the online made by these residents. Our wider operating systems, containing residents’ personal details, data homes and tenancies, and information relating to suppliers and partners, remain secure.

“We contacted directly affected residents last week with further information and guidance online safety, and will keep them fully informed this incident, and how it may affect them in the days ahead. Whilst our website remains unavailable, residents can continue to access our services by telephone or email.

“We know this incident will be concerning for residents, and I want to apologise for any worry or inconvenience this may cause. We sincerely appreciate everyone’s patience and understanding during this time.”

For chairs and board members, navigating a complex regulatory environment means more than understanding the latest requirements. It’s having the insight to provide effective oversight and assurance while supporting confident decision-making through sector change.

On 6 October in London, the Regulation and Governance Conference brings together 300-plus senior housing leaders to explore how boards can strengthen governance, navigate increased scrutiny and balance strategic priorities with their responsibilities to tenants, stakeholders and regulators.

Hear directly from senior leadership, including from the Regulator of Social Housing and the Building Safety Regulator, and leave with practical insight and connections to lead through regulatory change.

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