A disabled mother and her daughter who were driven out of their home for almost three years by mould and damp have been forced into temporary accommodation for a second time just days after returning – and at a cost of £14,000 a week.
Sabrena Rahman, 40, and her 13-year-old daughter, who are both asthmatic, were told in December, by Clarion Housing Group - the largest housing association in the UK - that her flat had been fully refurbished and the damp had been eliminated meaning she could return.
Rahman, who recently won a disability discrimination case against the housing association, was told she could move back into the property on 13 January, but when she arrived she says there were already visible damp and mould spots on the walls and ceiling.
She told The Independent that the boiler was disconnected and there was no electricity supply to the kitchen. Rahman and her daughter stayed in the property for two nights, but they both began to have breathing difficulties. She moved out to lodge with family and complained again to the housing association.
Rahman claims that although internal decoration had been completed, no external work had been done to prevent the penetrating damp that was damaging the property - despite having lived away for three years.
It comes as thousands of council houses were found to be riddled with serious damp and mould issues, prompting the Regulator of Social Housing to urge landlords to “act now”.
Its findings followed an investigation following the death of two-year-old Awaab Ishak from a respiratory condition caused by mould in the one-bedroom social housing flat where he lived, despite his parents complaining several times about the conditions.
Rahman’s representative, Eleanor Solomon of Anthony Gold Solicitors, told The Independent: “The surveyor came back and said nothing significant had been done and the problems have not been resolved. They’ve done a lot internally but almost nothing has been done externally. Every room is saturated [with damp].”
The next day, a leak in an adjacent property - also allegedly reported to Clarion more than nine months ago - caused major water damage and an electrical shortage to Rahman’s home. At this point, the housing association conceded work was necessary and agreed to move her back into temporary accommodation. She is now living in a serviced apartment at a cost to Clarion of £14,000 a week, according to Ms Solomon.
Ms Rahman said: “It’s really shameful of Clarion for it to get to that stage that I have to take out lawyers to make a point to them that I’m a human being with feelings and emotions. I said it’s all good and well that you’ve patched it up and made the kitchen look pretty but that’s not enough for me. They should have started with the external works in order to maintain the building from mould and damp and crumbling.”
It is the latest public embarrassment for Clarion chief executive Clare Miller, who was called to parliament to answer questions last year after ITV News exposed widespread black mould, vermin and disrepair across its Eastfields estate in South London. She told MPs she was “ashamed” of the state of her organisation’s properties.
Ms Rahman, who has physical disabilities following complications in childbirth as well as suffering post-traumatic stress disorder, has been left with extreme anxiety due to being moved, often at very short notice, between numerous temporary homes since 2020.
MS Rahman is willing to be permanently rehoused in a new property, but she says the housing association has refused that alternative.
Solomon explained: “They insist on booking these serviced apartments month by month, instead of going on Zoopla and booking [a private rental] for a year. I asked why they don’t permanently move my client, but they said they won’t do that. They responded to her MP saying that they would only do this for tenants who were, for example, victims of gang violence, but this is not true. Housing associations move people for reasons beyond the allocations policy, such as disrepair, all the time.”
Rahman, who has been told repair works to her property will take at least another three weeks, is expecting a longer stay in temporary housing. “All I want is a stable home for my kid and myself and a stress-free life, to stop feeling on edge. That house has become a constant reminder of the trauma I’ve been through. It’s hard to come out of that, from that feeling of always waking up expecting something else to happen,” she said.
A spokesperson for Clarion said: “We have supported Ms Rahman and her daughter to live comfortably while we completed the repairs undertaken in their home. We are very sorry that a secondary and unrelated issue has since occurred involving a leak from another property, meaning further work is now required. We are absolutely committed to moving Ms Rahman and her daughter back to a warm and comfortable home as soon as possible, and their wellbeing is our top priority.”
