A woman who moved out of her flat because she was living in fear that her ceiling would collapse was handed just £30 in compensation.
Fatima Djabra told of mushrooms and mould growing on the walls at her south London flat in Brixton where a huge hole in her ceiling had led to leaks and debris on the floor.
The social housing tenant, in her late 50s, spent four desperate months living with friends after her kitchen ceiling collapsed in December.
But she was still made to pay £504 of rent per month to Metropolitan Thames Valley Housing (MTVH) for the flat while also paying council tax and part of her friends' bills.
Fatima had hoped that her housing association would reimburse her rent in full for the inconvenience of staying elsewhere until she moved back into her flat in April, reports My London.
But the association refused to reimburse her for the full amount and instead awarded her a measly £30 in compensation following her complaint about the delay in repairs.
"I worried for my own safety which is why I moved out but MTVH totally ignored that point," Fatima said.
MTVH told Fatima that it would not reimburse her rent in full because she had decided to leave and "self-decant" herself from the home before the repairs team could confirm whether that was necessary.
But Fatima insists that her flat had become unsafe to keep living in and that she was getting no answers from her housing association.
"When I read the apology letter I was so upset, I didn't even reply," she continued.
"It was a letter of apology because ‘I chose to get out’ so basically I was punished.
"They said 'that's your choice, it's your choice you moved out of the flat.'
"So it seems like I am the guilty one because I moved out of my flat which doesn't make any sense to me."
Fatima, who works at a nearby school, said the compensation made her feel disgusting because MTVH failed to how disruptive the last four months have been for her.
As a result, MTVH awarded Fatima compensation for "poor complaints handling".
This referred to the amount of time it took them to resolve her housing disrepair issues as well as escalating her complaints further.
MTVH previously said that the leak was fixed before Christmas when Fatima claimed that she was regularly going back to the flat to empty buckets used to catch leaking water.
Speaking in March, she said: "I have to go through the same thing, having to fight, having to leave my home.
"But I still have to work and pay the rent and bills because if I don’t do that [MTVH] will kick me out."
Fatima returned home in April after MTVH confirmed the repairs were complete.
But she said that yellow patches started to appear on her ceiling which she suspects might be due to a leak.
The resident also claims that she had no working boiler and her sink is still blocked, which has been reported to MTVH.
"I just want all of this disrepair crap to just stop so I can get on with my life," Fatima said.
"They're wasting my time, they're taking away my energy and dragging me down.
"I can't do this anymore, they're abusing me emotionally."
Another issue is MTVH staff allegedly not turning up for appointments or arriving unexpectedly while Fatima is still at work.
"I told them I can't afford to miss another day of work but I'm being totally ignored again. I'm back to square zero," she added.
Fatima received £190.40 in addition to her £30 compensation after seeking legal action, but 30% was deducted to contribute towards lawyers' fees.
A spokesperson for MTVH said: "We do understand Ms Djabra’s frustration. Quite simply, everyone wants and expects to be comfortable in their home.
"That is why we are continuing to work to resolve things. It is unfortunate that the recent works did not solve all the issues.
"However, our colleagues have since been to Ms Djabra’s home to assess what work is now required and we are addressing them.
"To this end, we have been in contact with Ms Djabra over a boiler appointment and will also soon be able to confirm a date for our repairs team to visit.
"Ms Djabra was unhappy with how her original complaint was handled. This has been investigated thoroughly and concluded that we could have handled things better, for which we have apologised sincerely.
"The compensation awarded related purely to how the complaint was handled.
"We know that moving people from their home is a very significant step. That is why the decision over whether to decant was referred to a professional surveyor, whose expert opinion our decision was based on.
"At the same time, we know that Ms Djabra has experienced disruption and distress over this period. We want Ms Djabra to be happy in her home.
"As such, we will continue to work with her to ensure that the necessary repairs are completed as soon as possible."
