Rotting floors in social home branded ‘worst case of damp I’ve ever seen’ by former MP

After several visits by workpeople from landlord the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea (RBKC), surveyors attended on 19 December and removed the flooring to reveal damp and mould which had eaten away at the floorboards and begun rotting them throughout the property. 

The family were moved into temporary accommodation while work was carried out to fix the issues, which are not yet complete. They had first complained of the smell in October. 

Emma Dent Coad, leader of RBKC Labour Group and the former MP for the area, said: “I’ve been a councillor for 16 years and this is frankly the worst case of damp and mould I’ve seen. A family of six was left in danger of very serious consequences from black mould rampant throughout their home.”

The news comes amid a heightened focus on damp and mould in social housing, following an inquest into the death of two-year-old Awaab Ishak in November. 

That inquest found he had a respiratory condition that was caused by the damp and mould in his home, which his landlord, Rochdale Boroughwide Housing, had failed to deal with for two years. 

Yesterday, the government said it would implement ‘Awaab’s law’, which will require landlords to fix reported health hazards within specified timeframes, to be decided following consultation. 

The Bider family, of two parents and their four grown-up children, were moved out of the property on 20 December.

They had complained about the smell in October, with an inspection revealing a broken pipe from the bathtub was discharging water into the floor instead of the sewers. 

The pipe was fixed but the smell persisted, with doors jamming and struggling to close. A further burst pipe was discovered in early November, which was also causing water to leak into the flat.

The family requested an urgent move into temporary accommodation on 5 December, but were declined. They were not moved out until a surveyor attended, removed the flooring and discovered the extent of the damp. 

Amal Bider, one of the children, said her sister, who is autistic and sensitive to smell, had particularly struggled with the persistent foul smell rising from the floor. 

She said: “The way we were treated was inhuman. I can’t understand how they left us in that property for so long, even though the conditions were obvious and it was affecting our health.”

The family were initially asked to return to the property before work completed on the parents’ bedroom, but RBKC is understood to have relented following a meeting with them this week. 

A spokesperson for RBKC said: “Everyone deserves a safe, healthy place to live and we aim to respond swiftly, professionally and empathetically to any issues that residents bring to our attention regarding their homes. 

“We have begun works to eliminate mould and renew the flooring at the property. We have met with the family this week to agree a plan of action to complete the flooring replacement and redecoration before they return to their home. 

“We are laser-focused on maintaining and improving the quality of our residents’ homes and have committed to a seven-year, £400m programme of major works to make our housing stock healthier, warmer and cheaper to run.”