Hackney housing: ‘We had fungus growing from the roof’

A mother of three says she “doesn’t know what to do anymore” as she has had to live for two years with fungus growing in the cracks in her ceiling.

Serena, from Hackney, told the BBC that there have been a series of problems in her flat for more than 10 years.

She says the housing association, Peabody, “has left her and her children in this condition with no care.”

A Peabody spokesperson said: “We regret the time it has taken to fully resolve the issues raised.”

The spokesperson added: “We understand that the situation is frustrating, and we will inspect the building and see what else we can do to prevent the problems from happening again.”

Serena, a key worker in the NHS during the pandemic, said the cracks in the ceiling and walls of her apartment had gotten progressively worse.

“At one point we had fungus growing on the ceiling, leaks in the bedroom and hallway, and water flies everywhere.

“There is now a large crack running from floor to ceiling in my son’s room, clearly there is a subsidence issue, but Peabody doesn’t recognize the issue.”

She added: “My home is meant to be a place of comfort where my family and I can be at ease.

“I no longer feel safe in my own home.”

Serena says that Peabody has sealed the cracks in the ceiling more than 10 times since she’s been on the property, but the problem continues.

“It takes months, if not years, to get someone from the housing association to look at the problem.

“They’re not interested in the underlying problems of the subsidence, they just cover the cracks and then they’re gone again.

“When they investigated the mushrooms, they just took them off the roof and gave me £300 as compensation.

“No one has apologized to me or acknowledged my request to be removed from the property.”

It is not only the physical impact of the problem that is affecting Serena and her family, it is also mental.

“My son has stopped sleeping in his bedroom because he is afraid the ceiling will fall in on him.

“He feels like his own bedroom is like a prison.

“This is having a huge impact on their health and well-being.”

Hackney councilor and Green Party candidate for mayor of London Zoe Garbett told the BBC she was “really shocked when I found out about fungus growing on the wall of Serena’s house – no one should have to live in these conditions”.

“Too many people live in substandard housing. Landlords, including housing associations, need to listen to residents about the situations in which they live and find and fix the root cause of the problems.”

A Peabody spokesperson said: “We have paid compensation to the resident as an apology for the delays.

“There are still some repairs pending and we have agreed with the resident that we will complete them by mid-June.”