A Northolt resident claims her home is still "riddled with mould" despite the council carrying out maintenance works and deeming the property safe to live in.

The resident and her family, who asked to remain anonymous, were decanted from the one-bedroom council home in July 2024 after numerous occasions of mould and damp appearing in the property.

She says she has lived at the "crowded" home since 2021 with her nine-year-old so and one-year-old daughter.

Before the resident was to be decanted whilst the maintenance works were carried out in July 2024 she, according to the council, signed a disclaimer saying the resident would be responsible for storing their items in the home.

An image of the one-bedroom home in August 2024 (credit: Image supplied).

However, according to the resident, they only agreed to the council arranging to put their belongings into storage away from the property which the council refused.

As a result of the works the Northolt resident claims, "thousands of pounds" worth of items were damaged and that the council is "not taking accountability". 

In addition, after works were completed and the resident was let in back into her property, she claims there was still mould although the council say there is not after a visit on 29 October 2024. 

The mother says she has been living with friends since the maintenance works were carried out as she believes her home is not safe enough to live in.

An image of the resident's belongings after the works were completed which she claims the contractors damaged (credit: Image supplied).

She tells Ealing Nub News that she wants things to "go back to normality" and spend Christmas with her family in a safe home.

The Northolt resident says: "It's stressful, it's mentally draining...It's really really bad...it's a lot." 

Now at a Stage 2 complaint with The Housing Ombudsman, the resident plans to escalate her complaint further.

The social housing watchdog has also told the resident that the cause of mould is due to the fact the family is too big for the one-bedroom flat. 

Images of mould and damp in the property before the council's maintence works in July 2024 (credit: Image supplied).

An Ealing Council spokesperson tells Nub News: "We are sorry that this resident is unhappy with her situation. We remain in regular contact with her to offer support.  

"Our repairs team have visited her home several times. The mould in her home was relatively mild and her family were not assessed as being at high risk.

"We have done everything we can to make sure that the mould has minimal chance of returning, including replacing the insulation in the home this summer.

"There are no underlying structural causes of damp, and the property does not meet any disrepair threshold. It also meets all legal fire safety standards. Council officers visited on 29 October and found no mould in the property.  

"The property is small. Although it is not overcrowded according to national guidelines, we have upgraded her to a higher priority band for a move, which will help her bid for a new home.

"She submitted bids earlier this year and a further two in November and was unsuccessful.

"It took a long time for Miss X to agree a temporary decant while the insulation in her home was replaced because she wanted a permanent move to another property.

"It is the resident's responsibility to store personal items while works are being done in their homes. Before works started, the resident signed a disclaimer which acknowledged that.

"Despite this, we awarded her £400 in compensation for the inconvenience and have offered her more money if she submits further evidence of the damage eg photos as these were not previously provided. 

"We had agreed to decant the resident for the duration of intrusive insulation works. Everything else can be done with the resident in their home. The surveyor reports the home is safe to occupy."

The resident's belongings covered in mould before the maintence works (credit: Image supplied).

A member of the council's complaints team informed the mother of two yesterday (16 December) that, due to a disclaimer she allegedly signed, the council would not be liable to provide additional compensation for her damaged items.

In response to the council's comments the resident also explains that it took "a long time" for her to agree to the decant because she was waiting for the council to provide boxes to store her belongings in.

As of now, the only compensation the Northolt resident has received is £400 for the duration of time it took to resolve the issue and not for the damaged goods which she has sent the council images of as it requested.

She says: "They (Ealing Council) are making my life a misery...I did not sign any document to dispose of stuff in my property.

"It is ridiculous and I can't believe all of things they are making up.

"They are not compensating for the damage that has occurred, they are not compensating for the damage to my health and there is still mould present (at the property)."

She continues: "We can't enjoy the property, there is no space, there is mould, there is boxes. Its horrible. Yesterday he (her nine-year-old son) went into the cupboard and said 'mum I can smell the mould, it stinks'.

"I had to throw away all of my clothes...It's crazy."

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