Mould and mushrooms force elderly woman from flat

An 80-year-old woman has been unable to live in her flat in north-west London for three years after water damage caused mould and mushrooms to grow.

Jeff Dawes said his mother-in-law Coleen's flat has been "trashed" because water pools on the building roof and leaks in, causing the electrics to fall below safety standards.

Mr Dawes said he is desperate to resolve the issue at the Harrow leasehold property, particularly as Coleen is seriously ill, but the repairs must be performed by the building's private freeholder and its management company.

BBC News has contacted the Jersey-based freeholder Abacus Land, and management company City Living for comment.

"They're still having reports done. They're waiting for finances to be available," Mr Dawes said.

"We had a meeting with them in this flat last [week]. I came out the meeting after over an hour no more wiser than when I went in."

Mr Dawes said the rest of the building, which houses 14 flats and was built about 20 years ago, "is in an absolutely disgusting state" with the lift broken and tripping hazards on the stairs.

Anil Desai, a landlord who owns the flat below Coleen's, told BBC London there are cracks running "all the way around the building".

He said his flat has also suffered water damage and his home insurance won't pay out a second time because it is an ongoing issue with the building and not specifically his flat.

"That's it, there's nothing else I can do," Mr Desai said. "I've got tenants suffering there and they're living in those conditions."

David Simmonds, the MP for Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner and the Conservatives' shadow housing minister, said building owners are registering abroad to "escape accountability".

"That's an issue across the housing sector," he said.

"We need to make sure through a register of ownership so that we know who is ultimately responsible so that people who are affected by these kinds of issues can get that situation resolved."

The government is pushing legislation through Parliament to ban leaseholds on new flats.

No plans have yet to set out specific plans for the conversion of current leasehold properties to commonhold, but says it is "determined" to make this easier.

Housing Minister Matthew Pennycook told the BBC in March the current system is "inherently unfair" and reforms are needed to give leaseholders "better control" over their homes and associated costs.

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