A mum who constantly felt dizzy all the time feared she suffered from vertigo, but soon found out her boiler had a dangerous gas leak.
Debbie Williams had been taking medication to manage her vertigo as her dad also suffers from the condition that can make you feel like everything is spinning.
At the same time, Debbie was having issues with her boiler as it was old and constantly broke down in her Havering, East London home.
She says she struggled to get it fixed as she lives in a private-sector landlord (PSL) council house, which is a home rented by the local authority on behalf of its tenants as "temporary accommodation".
When she was able to get British Gas to come to look at the problem they found the boiler had a gas leak, MyLondon reports.
Her home had been slowly filling with carbon monoxide; a poisonous gas with no taste or smell.
Debbie claims this is when she realised she had been suffering from carbon monoxide poisoning and not vertigo.
She says the engineer told her "you're lucky you're still here".
Debbie has been dealing with the landlord directly for repairs, unlike other tenants who lived in this type of accommodation.
As these homes are considered "temporary accommodation", MyLondon reports the council is reluctant to invest in a property if it has a "short-term stake" in it.
Debbie claims her landlord was unwilling to replace the broken boiler unless she got a discount, despite it almost killing her.
She said: "He refused point-blank to put a new boiler in unless I got him some sort of discount."
Debbie also claims that “[when he found out about the] carbon monoxide poisoning he said the British Gas acted too hasty to cut it off. He then left me for months without a boiler.”
She also says she has been stuck between the landlord and council to get a working unit.
Debbie said: "[The council would tell me] that's not our problem you have to go to your landlord.
"So I’m trying to explain to Havering Council, 'you are my landlord, you rent it from him, I rent it from you'.”
The boiler is said to have broken down in August, but it wasn't replaced until November.
She said that although she was able to shower because that was electric going without heating as the seasons changed was difficult.
She claims: "We went without heating and hot water for three months. Now, logically thinking about it, I genuinely don't know how I managed it.
”It was freezing. We were doubling up with quilts. pyjamas, dressing gowns, everything you could possibly think of just to try and keep warm. We were all huddled in the same bed together.”
Debbie, who suffers from asthma, says that even though the boiler has been replaced, there is also a hole in the roof which leads to water coming down the walls when the weather is bad.
She adds that her windows also let in cold air and mould has spread across many rooms in the house.
She claims: “We're always ill. The rooms are constantly damp so we're constantly getting into damp bedding.
"I’m having to warm up the children’s clothes before putting them on, I have to warm up my clothes before putting them on."
Debbie claims mould spreads to the furniture and she ends up having to replace items.
She also claims that when she raises issues with the landlord he claims the problem doesn't exist.
She said one example was when she sent him a video of water pouring down her walls during a storm and he claimed it was condensation caused by her having the radiators on.
Debbie has also said that when council workers have assessed essential repairs and quoted the cost to the landlord, he has threatened to remove the property from the council’s temporary accommodation.
She said: "[The landlord] came around and complained about the amount that they wanted to charge for a roof that he believes there is naff all wrong with."
Knowing the landlord ultimately holds the power, Debbie feels scared to challenge him.
Debbie said: "[When repairs need doing] he just comes around himself and it's intimidation because I'm then here by myself and I can't say what I feel I want to say.
"It's in his hands whether I've got a roof over my head or not.”
The landlord doesn't have the direct power to evict her, but he could take the home back from the council at any point.
She's been in the property for eight years after coming there from a hostel when she left her marriage.
She said: "I thought this is going to be temporary and then eight years later, I'm like sitting here and it’s still ‘going to be temporary.’ I just gave up in the end.”
Responding to the issues raised in this article a spokesperson for Havering Council told MyLondon: “We have been working with the landlord and Ms Williams to make sure essential repairs are carried out on this temporary accommodation.
"Ms Williams has been able to bid for a permanent council property for several years and is high up on the list for bidding.
"She has every chance of being successful in moving to a council home.”
Debbie said she had been bidding on properties every week for years but had not been successful in bidding on a suitable home yet.
The Mirror contacted Havering Council for a comment.
