A mum has said the "horrific" conditions at her flat make her want to "take her own life" at times.
Rosemarie, who asked for her surname to not be shared, moved into her flat in North London just over two years ago now and, within 10 days, the family had a heavy leak coming down through her kitchen ceiling.
However, that was only the beginning of the issues the family was to experience at the Peabody housing association property in Muswell Hill, reports MyLondon.
The single mum has also been having problems with the boiler, being left without hot water, and Rosemarie said her kids - aged seven and 15 - constantly complain about the water being too cold.
Peabody housing association has apologised for the issues and says it is working to tackle the issues.
But in the meantime, Rosemarie claims things took a dramatic turn for the worse at the beginning of the year when her sons' bedroom was hit by flood damage.
She said the damage resulted in them sleeping her in and the mum being forced to sleep on the floor.
Rosemarie said: “First, the bathroom radiator wasn’t working.
"They came and they tried to fix it, but it still just comes on now and again.
“The radiator in the kids’ bedroom is constantly leaking as well.
"With the hot water, when you put your hand under it, it’s warm. But seconds later when you put it on your body, it’s cold."
The mum-of-two said the lack of hot water in the property has led to huge issues for the family and her sons struggle to wash properly before going to school.
She said it’s extremely upsetting and her kids constantly complain about the water being too cold.
Rosemarie also claimed the heating in her North London flat does not work properly.
This is a huge issue, as she claims the back door to the property hasn’t been sealed properly, meaning the flat gets cold very quickly.
She added: “There’s such a big gap around it - they tried to patch it up but it didn’t work. I’ve got slugs coming through the gap."
According to Rosemarie, the conditions in her flat took a dramatic turn on January 2, earlier this year when her sons’ bedroom was hit by devastating flood damage.
Rosemarie explained that the flood damage “mashed up” everything in the room, including the children's beds, lights and their possessions.
As a result, her two sons have been living without beds ever since and she has given them her bed to sleep in.
Now, she has been forced to sleep on the floor.
“I had to give up my bed - that room is completely out of use,” Rosemarie said.
Rosemarie is a vulnerable tenant, with a long history of depression, anxiety and OCD.
She does not feel Peabody is taking her mental health considerations into account and said her living conditions have pushed her to a new low.
Tearfully, Rosemarie said: “It’s long term, but since I moved to that property it’s been really bad. I’ve got days when I want to commit suicide.
“As soon as I get home, there are days when I’ve wanted to take my own life.”
Originally from Jamaica, Rosemarie has no family in the UK she can turn to for help.
She said she has worked hard to make her home comfortable to live in, though the constant state of disrepair has made it almost impossible to go on living there.
Rosemarie added: “I don’t want to move out, but with the conditions, I have to move."
A spokesperson from the Peabody housing association said: "We are very sorry about the ongoing issues with [Rosemarie’s] home and understand her concerns, which we’re trying to resolve.
"Our surveyor and repairs contractor visited the property again yesterday to carry out a full inspection and we will be starting a programme of work straight away to fix these issues.
"Our local team will also be contacting [Rosemarie] to provide any extra support she needs.
"We are aware of the leak and hot water issues affecting the property and are working to get this resolved as quickly as possible.
"We’re committed to proactively tackling problems like this and investing in people’s homes for the long term. "
