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“We’re treated like peasants. Like we’re not good enough to live in decent homes,” says Lorraine Branch, a tenant on the Nags Head Estate in east London.
She is part of a group of tenants who have resorted to enlisting lawyers and health workers from the charity Medact, to fight against Peabody after complaining for years of damp and mould in their homes.
The tenants said the Bethnal Green estate has had long-standing problems which they blame for health issues including respiratory illnesses, and claim previous repairs have only been a “quick fix” which have not resolved them.
Peabody, one of England’s largest housing associations, said it had “invested over £1m on improvements” in 2024 but “unfortunately, it will take time to resolve all the issues”.
Lorraine has been living on the Nags Head Estate for 14 years with her four children.
She said: “We’ve tried to gather all the tenants, door knocking, handing out leaflets, gatherings just to get people involved. We’ve hired lawyers, we’ve had medical professionals run by a charity to help us.”
The tenants pointed to a wall in a flat which was painted last summer, but was still damp and the paint came off when they touched it.
Lorraine said: “They’re quick fixes. They’re not properly insulating the walls. Nothing is getting resolved.”
The BBC filmed in another flat with black mould in the hallway, kitchen and on the shower curtains. The carpet was wet and the flat smelt damp.
The tenant, who did not want to be named, said: “We’ve reported the problems to Peabody, but it did not act for eight weeks. After the housing association organized washing the mould off, the problems quickly returned.”
Awaab Ishak, a two-year-old boy, died after contracting an infection due to mould at his home in Rochdale in 2020.
Fatima Tejani, a tenant on the estate, said she started to have COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) and lung problems after moving in.
“I blame the house,” she said. “When I’m out, I’m fine, but when I’m inside the flat, I start to cough. It’s not normal for me.”
In a survey it carried out in 2024 of 37 households on the estate, 35 said they had visible mould, and 30 households said they had damp in their properties.
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