The family of a one-year-old girl sent to hospital six times because of damp and mould in their south London flat say they are scared about her health and have pleaded for help from their local council.
The parents say their daughter’s plight has dark echoes of the tragic case of Awaab Ishak, who died in December 2020 from a respiratory condition caused by what an expert at his inquest described as extensive mould.
Dareen Nuru lives in a one-bedroom flat in Lambeth with her parents and four siblings.
“It’s very stressful, especially when we see Awaab Ishak. It’s scary,” said Amin Nuru, 41, her father. The family moved to the privately rented flat in February 2017 and problems with damp and mould developed soon afterwards.
Dareen was born last January with a hole in her heart. At five days old she was taken to hospital where she remained for nine days. “She was cold and had breathing problems. They gave her oxygen and warmth,” her father said. A few weeks later, Dareen’s family took her to the hospital again. She made her sixth visit last month.
The family are one of many households in London living in overcrowded conditions. The 2021 census found that 11% of households in the capital were classified as overcrowded, compared with 4% nationally.
Overcrowding can be detrimental to physical and mental wellbeing. According to the National Housing Federation, damp and mould is a common side-effect as humidity increases when a high number of people occupy a small space.
When the Guardian visited the family’s home last week, Dareen was wheezing loudly while being cradled by her mother. Large patches of black mould were present throughout the property. The tops of walls and ceilings were stained with streaks of water, probably caused by damp. Airtight plastic boxes full of children’s clothes sat in the living room.
Letters show that medical professionals warned about the conditions in the property and the impact these were having on Dareen and her siblings, and recommended that the family be rehoused.
Nuru said his landlord told him the problems with damp and mould in the flat could only be fixed if the family moved out temporarily. “There’s nowhere we can go,” he said.
The landlord said they had offered to help the family find alternative accommodation while the issues were treated and had provided him with dehumidifiers and mould remediation supplies.
The landlord said they had previously lived in the property and there had been no issues with damp and mould. They said “dangerous overcrowding” in the property had caused issues with damp and mould.
After the family approached Lambeth council for help, an environmental officer visited the home last June. They assessed that the seven-person household was not overcrowded. To determine this, the council used a formula whereby “children under the age of one are not counted, children aged one to nine count as half a person, and anyone aged 10 or over counts as one person”.
At the time, Dareen and her twin sister were both under the age of one and so not deemed to count. The family were awarded a score of 3.5. The council said this did not meet the statutory overcrowded threshold.
The campaign group Housing Action Southwark and Lambeth (HASL) wrote to the council asking it to reassess the family and award them a band A classification on the council’s housing list, reserved for those with serious medical needs who need to be rehoused urgently. It says the council ignored the request.
Last month, HASL members protested outside Lambeth council’s offices. More than 60 people turned up to support the family. After the protest, the family were told they had been allocated a band B classification on the council’s housing list and their case was under review. After the Guardian contacted Lambeth council for comment, the family were granted a band A classification.
Elizabeth Wyatt, a member of HASL, said at the protest: “There is an overcrowding epidemic in Lambeth and in London. There are very extreme cases like Amin’s. They are a minority, but a growing minority. These are the slums of the 21st century.”
Despite the new classification, the wait for a new home could be lengthy. Lambeth council said this was due to high demand and a severe shortage of social housing, especially homes for a seven-person household.
A Lambeth council spokesperson said: “Following the promised review, we have now exercised discretion to award Mr Nuru band A. As the twins have turned one [in January], the family’s present home would now fall within the standard definition of overcrowding.”
