Birmingham domestic abuse victim's home plagued by damp and mould

Amin told the BBC she was continuing to bid for new properties

A domestic abuse survivor who has been living in a damp and mouldy flat in Birmingham since 2017 has accused the council of ignoring her pleas to leave.

Amin [not her real name] said she had developed asthma after her son and daughter were diagnosed with the condition earlier this year.

Three agencies, including the NHS, have written to authorities to urge them to move the family for their health.

The government said it was unacceptable and the city council has apologised.

A spokesperson for the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities said the secretary of state had already written to the city council "calling for urgent action to address its failings".

They cited the proposed Awaab's law, introduced in memory of toddler Awaab Ishak, who died after being exposed to mould in his flat in Rochdale in 2020.

"Awaab's Law will require landlords to fix reported hazards within a specified timeframe and a stronger regulator will have the power to issue unlimited fines and make emergency repairs when our social housing bill becomes law this year."

A spokesperson said it was taking all cases "extremely seriously" and had asked contractors to prioritise the completion of planned treatment works by August.

A housing officer has also been helping Amin bid for properties, they added.

The mould has returned in several rooms and is present across walls and carpets

Council contractors visited the flat on Monday and gave it a clean, removing some of the mould.

Amin said she had contacted the BBC out of desperation as she had felt no one was helping her.

"I'm really bad to be honest, I'm more worried now than ever before, because I now have asthma too. They've sent me to a specialist," she added.

"Day by day, my children's health isn't improving, my daughter has had an ambulance here twice after asthma attacks."

The BBC has also seen several letters sent recently on Amin's behalf to the council.

Professionals from a GP surgery, local hospital and education provider have all urged housing officials to consider moving the family from the high-rise property.

After the BBC first featured her story in January, the council pledged to carry out remedial work at the flat "as a priority'", with Amin later moved up from housing priority band C to B.

Under this needs assessment, people are awarded "reasonable preference" to move due to various issues.

Some treatment work had been previously carried out at the flat

However, Amin is still on a waiting list and said she was told by a council official that there were at least 1,000 people ahead of her.

Some treatment work has been carried out on her flat but the mould has returned in several rooms, across walls and carpets, even a child car seat.

As of last week, approximately 21,240 households were waiting for social housing in Birmingham, with just six local authorities facing higher demand.

That figure has increased by 69% since 2019, with about a fifth of all people on housing waiting lists in the West Midlands based in Birmingham.

Managing more 60,000 properties, Birmingham City Council is England's largest social housing landlord and has faced a string of criticisms in the past.

In a recent report, the Regulator of Social Housing (RSH) found that 23,000 homes had serious health and safety issues.

Mould has returned in several rooms, across walls and carpets

Birmingham's Fair Housing campaign said Amin's situation was appalling but not unique in a city that did not have "enough social housing properties" for all on the list.

"Everyone I have spoken to pretty much has a story of disrepair that they are battling with the council," added Clare Caudery from the campaign group.

'Struggling to sleep'

Amin said she was continuing to bid for properties online.

She said she had been "struggling to sleep at night" and had been left distraught by the thought of staying in the flat.

"I want us all in a safe place," she added.

"I don't think Birmingham City Council care. I want to ask them why don't they listen to me?"