Hundreds of residents on a south London housing estate are demanding action from their council landlord, which they claim is ignoring urgent repairs needed on their homes.
Residents of the Tulse Hill estate say they have been left dealing with widespread problems of damp and mould that are so bad that in one case a cancer patient had to sleep on the floor for months after his ceiling collapsed twice.
Another person reported that his children had to sleep in the living room all year due to mould in their bedrooms, while another said they had to hold an umbrella while cooking to prevent water dripping on to the food after heavy rain. There are also widespread complaints about poor repairs.
The cancer patient, who asked to remain anonymous, first went to the council in February when a 2ft lump of concrete from a chimney fell on to the roof, dislodging tiles and resulting in his bedroom ceiling being exposed.
In April, the buildup of rainwater, wind, and damp led to part of the plasterboard ceiling collapsing, letting in rain inside the property. The resident collected the water using pots and pans.
He added: “After seven months of this, I have no faith in the council doing anything about this. I’ve tried everything I’m supposed to do, and where has that led me?”
He reported rain coming into his bedroom for most of the year, while trying to get his “life in order since the cancer diagnosis”. He was left “still sleeping on the floor while … waiting for surgery,” which could leave him bed-bound.
In April, a council contractor fixed a plastic sheet with duct tape to the hole in the ceiling. The resident was expected to maintain this by reapplying the tape, while the contractor marked the job as complete.
In May, a council contractor erected scaffolding, but no work was done until July, when the chimney was fixed but not the roof. The resident continued to complain. A member’s inquiry by a councillor found that the work had been signed off as complete by contractors in late July, despite not being done.
In late August, the council started work on the roof tiles. A day later, the affected resident’s ceiling collapsed on to his bed, with bricks, wood, insulation wool and dust falling in.
Lambeth council admits it ”fell below” its standards on this occasion. The council apologised “for failings”, acknowledging that its “response to the resident’s complaint was not as helpful, considerate or timely as it should have been”.
Lambeth said work on the property was delayed due to bad weather and the complexity of the scaffolding. It said: “Additional work on the chimney was reported and carried out this month, and further repairs to tackle water ingress were completed on 25 August 25. We have spoken to the resident and arranged to complete the internal repairs on 13 September.”
The case has sparked outrage among residents of the estate, who claim to have been struggling to get their repairs attended to properly by Lambeth council.
Community organisers from High Trees Community Development Trust spoke to more than 200 residents, who raised various problems. High Trees is supporting neighbours to come together and organise under the name Tulse Hill Estate Unites.
Manuel Goncalves, a transport worker who has lived on the estate for nine years, says his children have had to sleep in the living room all year round due to mould in their bedrooms.
He said: “Tulse Hill Estate Unites is a growing group of the estate residents because everyone has a history to tell about being neglected by the council regarding house conditions.”
In July, the housing ombudsman said Lambeth council would be the first in the country to be inspected. This followed a report into the council that found a consistent failure to act on complaints, maladministration and a lack of respect and empathy for its tenants. The report also criticised the authority’s handling of issues with mould and damp, as well as contractors’ behaviour.
Lambeth council responded by saying it was working “intensively with the housing ombudsman and with residents to improve the way we respond to complaints”.
High Trees Community Development Trust said: “Often individual residents are blamed for issues in their homes (such as widespread mould and damp which they are told are caused by ‘lifestyle issues’) – it’s only when residents come together to talk and act that they realise they are all being told theirs is an isolated case rather than clear issues with the structure or maintenance of their housing blocks.”
Lambeth said tackling damp and mould was “a key priority”. It added that it had assigned 10 new companies and a new in-house repairs team to help improve repairs and maintenance.
