A pregnant mum and her son were driven out of their home for close to a year by severe water damage caused by a leak, forcing them to live with friends and family.
Jodie McCalla lives in a block of flats in Blackheath, run by Lewisham Homes, with her 16-year-old son.
The 36-year-old, a former events manager, is seven months into a high risk pregnancy and suffers from fibroids, the pain of which can mimic contractions and send someone into early labour.
Ms McCalla was horrified when a leak started above her flat in April of last year, causing severe water damage to her bathroom, kitchen, and son’s bedroom.
Lewisham Homes, which manages homes on behalf of the council, said the leak “proved difficult to source and repair”, My London reported.
By November 2020, Jodie said the situation was so bad that she and her son had to move out - all while he was studying for his GCSEs.
The soon-to-be mum-of-two said she begged Lewisham Homes for more than a year to repair her flat and make it fit to live in again.
However, the organisation only started work on August 17, a whopping 16 months after the leak started.
She said the situation had been “utterly distressing”.
“The home was inhabitable - you couldn’t live in it,” she said.
“I’ve not been in my home my entire pregnancy and it’s also massively affected my son’s mental health. Lewisham Homes is fully aware of that.”
Jodie and her son had been staying with friends and family for the past nine months, with the Lewisham woman claiming she had not been offered any temporary accommodation during this time or during the repair works.
According to Lewisham Homes’ risk assessment, she should be able to share a room inside the property with her son, with the pair being expected to head outside during the daytime while the work was being done.
“My son is 16 and 6ft2 – I'm 5ft9 and seven months pregnant,” she said.
“How are we sharing one room? No 16-year-old wants to share a bed with their mother.”
After a long delay, Lewisham Homes has promised a brand new kitchen and bathroom.
But the repairs are on hold again, with Jodie told on August 26 that they are not expected to be finished until mid-October because of supply shortages.
Jodie, already heavily pregnant, is becoming increasingly worried that she won't be able to move back into her home before she gives birth.
A spokesman for Lewisham Homes said the damage and damp problems in Ms McCalla’s property were caused by a leak, which had proved difficult to source and repair.
“However, the issue has now been fixed and we are in process of completing full remedial works to the property,” he said.
“We acknowledge that our delay in getting this matter fully resolved has been inconvenient and frustrating for Ms McCalla, and apologise to her.”
He added that Lewisham Homes is starting to invest in a programme specifically targeting dampness.
He continued: “As well as improving the condition of our stock to prevent damp, we are also working to ensure we effectively deal with responsive repair issues like plumbing leaks between flats.
“As part of the recent restructure of our repairs service, we now have a specialist damp surveying resource, who assess and manage damp cases and also instruct works.”
The spokesman said the Lewisham Homes is trying to be “more proactive with leaks” and trying to “manage these cases until they are fully resolved”.
