'I fear my mould-infested flat is going to kill me'

Stacey Coveley said the mould in her council flat had made it a "shell, not a home"

A mother of two who has a lung condition says she is "petrified" the mould in her south London council flat is going to kill her.

Stacey Coveley, 37, who suffers from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), said she has complained to Lambeth Council about the state of her Clapham flat since 2021.

The authority said the service it had provided to Ms Coveley was "not up to standard" and apologised for the "distress caused by these failings".

New figures obtained by the BBC reveal complaints about damp and mould in social housing have almost tripled in the capital in two years.

Ms Coveley, 37, first complained about mould to Lambeth Council in 2021

Ms Coveley told the BBC she cannot sleep in her own bed because of the mould, and instead sleeps on the sofa.

She said all of her food must be kept outside the mould-ridden cupboards, and many of her clothes and shoes had long been discarded as unwearable.

The cleaner claims the ongoing worsening mould is making her lung condition worse.

"My father died of COPD. I'm scared I'm going to go the same way. I don't want to leave my kids. I'm petrified my mould-infested flat is going to kill me," she said.

The BBC has seen letters from her hospital where mould is outlined as likely contributing to her COPD symptoms.

Ms Coveley says the mould is making her lung condition worse

Ms Coveley said the mould was affecting every aspect of her daily life.

"My kitchen is unusable," she said.

"Everything in my kitchen is ruined. I haven't cooked in that kitchen in the best part of two years."

"It's horrendous," she added. "This is a shell, not a home."

Lambeth Council said the service it had provided Ms Coveley was not "up to the standard required"

Lambeth Council said dealing with mould and damp was a "priority".

"When problems arise, we work hard to deal with them quickly and fairly," a spokesperson said.

"It’s clear that the service we provided in this case has not been up to the standard required and we apologise to Ms Coveley for the distress caused by these failings."

Ms Coveley is now taking legal action with Express Solicitors against Lambeth Council over her flat and living conditions.

New figures show mould complaints in London's social housing have almost tripled since 2021

Complaints of damp and mould to the Housing Ombudsman have almost tripled from 688 in 2021 to 1,925 in 2023, a Freedom of Information request by BBC London revealed.

Cases of severe maladministration findings have also increased from 39 in 2021 to 315 in 2023.

"Overall it reflects the challenges we’re seeing in social housing, a historic under-investment in some social homes, the ageing of some of the housing we have in London," said Richard Blakeway, from the Housing Ombudsman.

Anthonio Igbon is in the middle of a dispute with a housing association about mould

Another resident affected by mould in their property is Anthonio Igbon.

Mr Igbon, who has serious disabilities, said he has been forced to couch surf as his mould-infected apartment near Seven Sisters, north London, has not been adequately remedied.

"I have faced many obstacles in my life," he said.

"I never imagined I would end up having to fight a housing association about disrepair and issues with my property."

A spokesperson for Mr Igbon's housing association, Notting Hill Genesis, said work had been done to resolve the mould.

"We have carried out a large programme of improvements to Anthonio’s home and while we are sorry he needed to move out while that took place, our residents’ safety is always our top priority," the spokesperson added.

Awaab's Law

The rise in complaints comes after the 2020 death of two-year-old Awaab Ishak from mould exposure, which led to stronger laws and scrutiny of social landlords.

Awaab's Law was passed in July and requires landlords to fix mould hazards within a timeframe or rehouse tenants.