'Our mouldy, crowded flat is making us ill – but the council won't help us'

Former NHS nurse Christiana Peggy Asard, 74, lives in a two-bedroom flat in Dudden Hill Lane, Neasden, with her daughter Linda and her five grandchildren.

She suffers from asthma and congestive heart failure and believes her poor living conditions are making her even more unwell.

She says she has required repeated treatment this year for pneumonia and asthma attacks, which she believes are aggravated by the damp and mould.

Linda says her children have also had respiratory illnesses.

Christiana Asard, right, suffers from asthma and congestive heart disease. She believes the mouldy flat is worsening her health. Her daughter Linda, left, says her children are becoming ill too (Image: Archant)

The flat is privately rented, but the family can only afford it with the help of housing benefit.

A report by Brent Council has found it is “substantially overcrowded” and “not suitable”.

Christiana cannot even leave the property, as she cannot climb the “steep steps” to and from the front door, the council report said.

Brent has told the family they are eligible for a five-bedroom council property – but the two sides disagree over whether the council is helping them find one.

When we visited the flat last week, there was mould on the bathroom ceiling and the shower and taps were leaking (Image: Archant)

The council report, written in February, described mould and damp in the bathroom and other rooms.

This, said the report, “has a known negative impact on elderly/vulnerable people and Mrs Asard has cardio/respiratory disease”.

There was “clear evidence that rodents may be able to gain entrance through sub floor ventilation which is not adequately sealed”.

When we visited the property last week, we found what appeared to be animal droppings in the family's kitchen cupboards. The family said the rodent problem is so persistent they keep most of their kitchen equipment elsewhere, in plastic bags (Image: Archant)

When the Times visited in August the problems remained, along with a leaking roof and a sink leaking into a cupboard.

The family said they hear animals scurrying under the floor every night.

The flat has twice been deemed unsafe by gas experts this year, although the problem has since been fixed.

A council spokesperson said: “We were shocked to hear about the conditions the family were living in and inspected the property straight away.

“We asked the landlord to make several repairs, which should have happened a lot sooner, however access to the property was not always granted.”

Linda denies that. She said she had only refused entry to tradespeople if they had arrived without a scheduled appointment and at an inconvenient time, such as when her mother was receiving care.

Ex-nurse Christiana Peggy Asard, 74, sleeps in a hospital bed in the living room, while her daughter and five grandchildren share two bedrooms (Image: Archant)

Christiana sleeps in a hospital bed in the living room, due to overcrowding, and receives intimate personal care from visiting carers.

The council claimed it had offered the family a five-bedroom home in Wembley, but the family “did not respond”.

Linda denied that too. She said the council had never offered the family a three, four or five-bedroom home.

She said she was once invited to view a five-bedroom home, but the council cancelled the viewing.

In the living room, metres from Christiana Asard's hospital bed, water was leaking through the roof and mould appeared to be growing on the wall (Image: Archant)

“The welfare of the family is our upmost priority so we will continue to work with the landlord to see that any safety concerns are resolved urgently and to address the problem of overcrowding in the long term,” the council said.

It added that Brent takes concerns about poor quality and overcrowded housing “very seriously”.

The family's landlords are Leigh Stephenson and Shirley Dent, who manage three properties.

This paper contacted Mr Stephenson in writing and then by telephone. He said he had received the request for comment and had forwarded it to Mrs Dent, as she deals with the administrative side of the business. Neither has provided comment.

Water was leaking through the family's ceiling last week (Image: Linda Asard)