Family forced to sleep in room on blow-up beds as mould and rats destroy home
A family-of-seven claim they have been forced to sleep in one room on blow-up beds and sofas due to a rodent and mould infestation.
The Alis were placed in the temporary accommodation in Plaistow, East London, along with their children by Newham Council in 2018.
It is owned by a private landlord.
The family say the black mould has spread throughout all the rooms, while the rat and mice issue started within a month of moving in over four years ago.
Food they were storing was rapidly getting destroyed before they found traces of the pests all over the house.
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As well as droppings, they can find the rats and mice scratching in the attic and running up and down the pipes.
The mould has spread across all the rooms (Facundo Arrizabalaga)Mr Ali - who did wish to give his first name - told MyLondon: "Pest control did do treatments but we told them a much bigger treatment needed to be done because we can see huge holes around the house."
As summer turned into winter, the couple said they experienced constant leaks in the ceilings and black mould and damp began to appear on the bedroom walls.
They reported this straight away and told the council and the letting agency that even if they could air out the property, they don't have keys for some of the windows.
Some of the windows have remained locked for the past five years and there is no working extractor fan in both the bathroom and kitchen.
The issue has meant the family's health is declining (Facundo Arrizabalaga)Mrs Ali - who also declined to give her full name - explained: "We've been asking for the keys for so long.
"We used to wipe the walls upstairs but I've got eczema so I'm not allowed to touch the walls upstairs at all, it's really bad."
The family say their living conditions are severely impacting their health, both physically and mentally.
Mrs Ali added: "My daughter has cystic fibrosis, we went to the hospital and she was the first one of us who was diagnosed with asthma.
The family is desperate to move (Facundo Arrizabalaga)"She had this breathing problem for a long time, so they did an assessment in the hospital and then they diagnosed her.
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"[The rest of us] have this ongoing issue as well but we weren't sure why we had it until the nurses told us, 'why don't you start getting yourself checked?' It's not just that, it's also my skin now.
"I had really nice clear skin but I've got so many acne problems and the doctor said it could be related to the damp."
Mr Ali said the family is constantly on antibiotics because they are hit with coughs, colds, fevers and breathing problems.
The mould has covered everything (Facundo Arrizabalaga)He said: "Mentally, I don't have any words left to explain how I feel."
Over the last few months, the mould has gotten so bad that the couple and their children, aged six to 15, have moved into the living room which is one of the only areas not smothered in dark black spores.
"We have not slept upstairs for the past few months, we are sleeping in this living room, all seven of us," Mr Ali said. "Upstairs it looks like it's poisoned everywhere."
Mrs Ali says her children are petrified and believe the house must be "cursed" because of the mould infestation.
Mrs Ali worries for her children (Facundo Arrizabalaga)Mr Ali said: "Our daughter wakes up and tells us she is scared because the patches are so dark. The mould and damp have destroyed almost all of our clothes, our shoes, our furniture, I don't understand why no one is doing anything, especially the council."
Despite repeatedly contacting the council, the letting agency and the Labour MP for West Ham, Lyn Brown, the family admit it has been a struggle for thorough action to happen.
Newham Council has offered the family alternative hotel accommodation, but Mrs Ali says she rejected the offer because she feared it might be outside of London and away from where she and her husband work and where the children go to school.
Mr Ali said: "Our housing officer has done so many inspections and writes up reports but that's all she does - nothing is happening."
A spokesperson for Ms Brown's office said "regrettably" the email wasn't picked up due to an "administrative error".
The couple say they have been looking to move elsewhere, but cannot afford any of the properties available and do not have enough rooms.
Mr Ali and his wife are both in work, but have set up a fundraiser to help with a deposit for a future home.
Mr Ali said: "At the moment we are heartbroken, we don't have the words to explain how we feel on the inside. My wife and I don't have a good life, nothing."
A spokesperson for Newham Council said it was aware of the disrepair issues at the Ali family's home, and that they are a "priority" for a move.
They said: "We are working with them to find alternative accommodation which meets their needs.
"This includes offering a number of times to accommodate the family in hotel accommodation whilst something more suitable is sourced.
"London Borough of Newham, as with other London boroughs, is experiencing severe challenges with sourcing accommodation, particularly of the type that is required to meet the needs of this large family."
The spokesperson added: "In the meanwhile, we have also been working with the managing agent and the family to arrange for repairs at the address to resolve the situation.
"The most recent works to remedy the damp was due to be carried out yesterday (Tuesday, April 4) at the request of the family, this has been rearranged to later in the month.
"The offer of hotel accommodation still remains open and is ongoing."
MP Ms Brown said she is "very concerned" that the family's situation remains unchanged and vowed to put more pressure on the council.
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