A mum has been awarded £2,500 in damages after her local council housed her family in an infested flat.
Kathleen Napier, a mother-of-three, sought legal advice after complaining to Islington Council in February 2018.
She claimed her flat on Hornsey Estate, London, had become so run down that she was unable to use her third bedroom as the floor had a huge crack in it, and had become sunken making it too dangerous to walk on.
The flat had damp and mould in the hallway, living room and two other bedrooms, as well as a cockroach infestation in the kitchen, she added.
Despite electrical safety laws, the flat had a broken fire alarm, the floor needed replacing in the kitchen, as well as broken kitchen cabinets and the extraction fan also didn’t work.
Ventilation was needed in the hallway and two of the bedrooms and the exterior walls had cracks or bricks missing as well as leaking drain pipes due to lack of maintenance.
Ms Napier reported the flat, which she alleges had a cockroach infestation in the kitchen, to Liverpool-based law firm High Street Solicitors after the council failed to address her complaints.
It triggered an investigation and the authority was ordered to pay £2,500 in compensation to the mother-of-three.
Islington Council was also asked to ensure the property is brought up to legal standards.
Kathleen has been granted a permanent transfer to a new property.
High Street Solicitor’s housing head of department, Larissa Ellis, said: “It’s absolutely unacceptable that a tenant would have to live in these uninhabitable conditions.
“The third bedroom is a health hazard as the floor is incredibly dangerous, and a broken fire alarm poses a serious risk to the family.
“The cockroach infestation, mould, damp and lack of ventilation further add to the unsatisfactory state of the property.
“Kathleen had been complaining to the landlord to have the property brought up to a habitable standard, without avail, and was left with no other option but to seek legal advice.
“We are very happy that we could help her; ensuring that she is permanently transferred to a different property, she is compensated, and the disrepair is resolved for the next tenant.
“The team and I urge anyone living in a similar situation to contact our team for advice.”
An Islington Council spokesperson said: “We are committed to ensuring that each and every person that lives in our borough has a decent, safe and secure place to call home.
“When a tenant comes forward to the council with an issue in their home, we work with them to resolve this quickly and effectively.
“The council places its tenants at the heart of its work, and we have worked with Ms Napier and the other occupants of the property to provide them with a suitable offer of re-housing, which they have accepted.”
