Mum left with large hole in living room ceiling

Sacha Berko says "it is tiring living like this"

A mum has said she has been left with a large hole in the living room ceiling of her rented house for two years by a south London council.

The front room ceiling in Sacha Berko’s home in Gipsy Hill, Lambeth, collapsed in June 2022 due to a leak.

Local authority surveyors have visited the home nine times but Ms Berko, who has an autistic son who has attempted to "squeeze through" the hole, said she was no closer to getting the problem fixed.

Lambeth Council apologised for the inconvenience and attributed the delay in repairs to being unable to provide suitable temporary accommodation for the family while the works take place.

Lambeth Council said it was "aware" of the repairs needed but said it was having difficulty gaining access

Ms Berko said: "It’s overwhelming. My son is autistic. He will put his leg through the hole. He tried to squeeze his body through once. I’m just trying to get this out there to put pressure on them [the council]. I’m fed-up, honestly.

“You can’t keep treating people like this. I’m paying rent. I’m not withholding rent."

"It’s tiring living like this," she added.

She says she has not been able to turn the lights on in the living room and kitchen due to water damage affecting the electrics.

A Lambeth Council spokesperson said: “We are aware of the repairs needed at this property but, unfortunately, we haven’t been able to complete them because of difficulties gaining access. We will schedule work on the house once we can arrange access; we apologise for the inconvenience Ms Berko has experienced as a result of the delay.

“The shortage of affordable housing means we are now providing temporary accommodation for over 4,600 homeless households every night– and more than 40,000 households are currently on our waiting list for social housing.

“Lambeth has more than 33,000 council homes and our priority is ensuring that all of these are safe and well-maintained for our residents. Where any problems are brought to our attention, we are committed to dealing with them quickly and effectively.”