Family Being Forced to Quit Acton House for 'Mouldy Flat'

Report contradicts landlord's claim that problems have been fixed

Emily McDermott in her house in Acton. Picture: Facundo Arrizabalaga/MyLondon

December 11, 2024

A family is being told that they have to leave an Acton house they are currently living in to return to a flat which they claim left one of them, a 10-year-old girl, in hospital due to mould. Emily McDermott was told by her landlord, Peabody, that she couldn’t stay in her temporary accommodation anymore, ordering her to return to the previous flat.

Emily first reported the damp and mould over 20 years ago, and was allegedly told by her housing association to ‘open a window’. Two decades later, her now adult son has developed severe asthma, and her ten-year-old daughter faces opening Christmas presents in the flat that has hospitalised her on several occasions with breathing difficulties.

Emily said: “The one thing as a mother you can do is to protect your children. Going back to that flat is not an option, and any mother would do the same. What they are trying to do to us is inhumane.” Peabody has said it carried out work to fix the faults over the summer, but that Emily has refused to move back. The housing association added that it has reassured Emily of the property’s safety, and that it has been examined by an independent surveyor.

‘We’ve been moved three times in under two years’
Peabody moved the family out of the Kensington flat in October 2023.

They were first moved into temporary accommodation in Ladbroke Grove, a flat with a living room, kitchen and one-bedroom. Emily says she was told the property was two-bedroom.

She says this meant herself and her ten-year-old daughter had to share a bed in their living room for several months until December 2023, when Emily was surprised by a phone call notifying her that they were supposed to have vacated the property hours before.

Emily attempted to organise her belongings to pack up and move to new temporary accommodation in Colworth, where they stayed until February 2024. 10 months ago, they were moved to a suitable three-bedroom house in Acton, where they have been living ever since – but now face being forced out.

Emily told the Local Democracy Reporting Service [LDRS]: “My daughter is traumatized, she was so ill there. They want us to go back to this property without any cooker or fridge which they have broken in storage, to a flat which I believe is still damp. I already moved her school, we are settled here. “It feels personal. Their tactics get better each time. Now, they send removal vans round to try and move me back to that flat. I haven’t been able to put Christmas decorations up for two years in a row, because I don’t know where I will be.”

Peabody says that work to rectify the mould problem has been rectified, but Emily does not agree. An environmental health report dated Wednesday [November 20] outlined that the property was infected with mould due to poor ventilation, and the mould and damp there before was being covered with a mould wash.

Examples of mould in Emily McDermott's flat before remediation

Damp Free London said: “While work that has been completed, it is becoming evident that the condition of the walls suggests the remediation will not be sufficient to prevent mould from returning. The walls are already showing signs of moisture, which indicates that the underlying issue has not been fully addressed.

“This property is uninhabitable. It is unhealthy and can cause severe breathing problems or allergic reactions caused by the mould. Due to a child living in the property, this has higher risk of them developing asthma at a young age. The mould was not caused by negligence of tenants but by prior attempts to cover up the ongoing issues instead of removing.”

However, five days later, Peabody carried out their own examination with an independent surveyor which found the property safe for return. Emily disputes this, claiming to the LDRS that the surveyor booked through Peabody contacted her so they could view the property, before cancelling altogether.

Peabody have been asked by the LDRS for details about what work took place in these five days to make the property safe, however at the time of writing no details have been given. They say because the home hasn’t been heated for so long, some condensation was reported but ‘no damp or mould ‘, contradicting the report days prior by Damp Free London.

Emily says she was told she must vacate her current house and return to the flat this Tuesday (10 December).

On Tuesday, Emily says two removal vans were sent to her current address with ‘a small list’ of items to be removed as directed by Peabody. At this stage, a majority of her belongings remain in the house, and she is allegedly being informed she is now liable for any subsequent charges.

Emily said: “My ten year old daughter is broken. She sufferers with ADHD, anxiety, autism, aside from the breathing difficulties and they know this. They just don’t care, they’ve lied all the way through.

“I’ve had to be put on stronger antidepressants and had to get help from urgent mental health care. It’s not an option for me to go back to that flat two weeks before Christmas.”

Emily says the housing association has failed her family on a number of fronts, and now they are resorting to other means to force her out. Now, on Wednesday (December 11), the family are allegedly being threatened with the arrival of security to remove them from the property.

“Their tactics get worse each time. They are trying to intimidate me sending removal vans. The fact they can ignore mental health in this day and age is shocking. Our health is at risk in that property,” she added.

A spokesperson for Peabody said: “Miss McDermott and her family were staying in temporary accommodation while we carried out repairs to her home. We finished the work in the summer and her home has been ready for them to return, however she has been refusing to move back.

“We have reassured Miss McDermott that her home is safe and has been checked by an independent surveyor. We will keep working with the family to support them.”

Philip James Lynch - Local Democracy Reporter