You are viewing 1 of your 1 free articles
Dead bodies of mother and daughter found in north London council home
A council’s housing management body said it is “deeply saddened” after the dead bodies of a mother and daughter were found in their north London home, having not been seen by neighbours for around seven months.
Zarinn Adatia, 84, and her daughter Tasneem Adatia, 48, were found dead at their Barnet Homes property following attempts to carry out an annual gas safety check on 24 November last year.
Residents at the three-storey block in Prospect Ring, north London, told Inside Housing that they were devastated by news of the discovery, with one revealing that she had not heard from her neighbours since about March or April last year – around seven months before their bodies were discovered.
Barnet Homes said it is liaising with the relevant authorities to determine how the tragedy occurred.
The landlord was created by the council in 2004 and became an ALMO in 2012. It manages 15,000 council homes.
Jeanette White lives in the ground floor flat that uses the same entryway to the property where Zarinn and Tasneem lived.
The 88-year-old said: “My son would come over and say there was a terrible smell in the hall but we thought it was the rubbish chute.”
The flats in the block share bin chutes that can be accessed in the communal landing to dispose of household waste.
READ MORE
Ms White said that Zarinn and Tasneem were found by a contractor who had been attempting to complete a gas safety inspection.
Housing associations have a legal obligation to complete the check under the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998.
“The police came around after they were found but we haven’t heard anything from anyone since,” said Ms White. “I believe Zarinn was found in the bed and her daughter was found sitting up in the chair.”
Cristina Niculae lives opposite Ms White with her partner and two children. The 33-year-old told Inside Housing that she had been friends with Tasneem, who she called “Tas”, although they had seen each other a lot less in the 12-month period before they had last spoken.
She said: “We would still say hello to each other if we saw each other on the stairs or whatever, but the last time I remember speaking to them was around March or April last year as I had some friends around, and they called and asked us to keep the noise down a bit.”
Asked whether any concerns were raised about their welfare, Ms Niculae said that a neighbour told her she had told the landlord in the months before their discovery that they had not seen either resident for a long time and was told that a letter would be sent to their address.
“Obviously nobody knew what had happened then but how were they going to read that?” she asked.
Ms Niculae said she was not aware of any health conditions that could have caused sudden death, although she knew Tasneem had asthma and had a bad bout of COVID-19 during the pandemic, and that her mum was diabetic and needed a wheelchair to get around.
“If her mum had died first, Tas would have been able to do something about it. She loved her mother and did everything for her,” she added.
Barnet Council said that neither of the women was known to their social service teams.
The landlord said: “Barnet Homes is deeply saddened by the passing of Mrs and Miss Adatia, and we extend our sincere condolences to their family and friends.
“We are working with the relevant authorities to determine the circumstances around this tragedy and are committed to supporting those who have been affected.”
Ross Houston, deputy leader of Barnet Council and chair of its Housing and Growth Committee, also described being “deeply shocked and saddened by the distressing circumstances of the passing and discovery of Mrs and Miss Adatia”.
Mr Houston also extended sincere condolences to their family and friends on behalf of the council.
He added: “Barnet Homes was the family’s landlord and their rent payments were made regularly and were up to date. They did not have any known vulnerabilities and were not known to Barnet Council’s social services. The deceased were discovered during a routine gas safety check, whereby Barnet Homes officers were able to obtain entry to their residence.
“We are working with the relevant authorities to determine the circumstances around this tragedy and are committed to supporting those who have been affected.”
A Metropolitan Police spokesperson confirmed that they were called shortly after 1pm on Thursday 24 November to the housing association property in Prospect Ring following the discovery of the women’s bodies.
A spokesperson added: “The deaths are being treated as unexplained. They have been investigated and the circumstances are not believed to be suspicious. A file will be prepared for the coroner.”
The inquests are scheduled for 11am on 8 June at Barnet Coroner’s Court.
The tragic incident bears a similarity to another case heard by a coroner last year after the body of a 61-year-old Peabody resident was left undiscovered for two years.
Sheila Seleoane was found in her housing association flat at Lords Court in Peckham, south London in February last year.
Following an inquest and the subsequent investigation by Peabody, it was revealed that large patch sizes for neighbourhood wardens and a silo-working culture led to “missed opportunities”.
At the time, coroner Julian Morris said in his conclusion that it is “difficult to fathom” how someone could go undiscovered in this way in 2022.
Sadly, just two weeks after Inside Housing became aware of the death of Ms Seleoane, the body of a second Peabody resident was revealed to have gone undiscovered at his London home for months before police eventually broke into the flat in July 2021.
Terry Watkins was found dead by police in his housing association flat in Wild Street, Westminster, London, on 19 July 2021 after residents claimed that concerns had been raised about his welfare for months before.
In this instance, Peabody said that it was “difficult to see how it would have known about the situation” and that it was contacted “for the first time” by a resident on the day his body was found by the police.
