A mother of three is living in a constant fear that her children could die because of the black mould that has spread “like wildfire” in her home. Tanika Alveranga, 28, lives in the two-bedroom flat with her three children and claimed that she has raised the issue many times with her managing agent, Housing Enterprise Solutions (HES).
Her eldest child has developed bronchiolitis, which Tanika believes is a result of her mouldy home in Willesden, northwest London.
The 28-year-old mum is worried and told MyLondon that she fears her kids could meet the same fate as two-year-old Awaab Ishak, who died in a home plagued with mould, MyLondon reported.
She said: “I worry one of my sons will die.
“Nobody cares, I feel let down and angry. I want them to peel back the wall, re-concrete, and deal with the mould issues.
“I love my home, just not the problems that come with it.”
“It terrifies me because he [Awaab] was always in and out of the hospital for chest infections. [My son has] literally not stopped being chesty since November.
“This shouldn’t be happening to the baby.
“Because I’m isolated and not having people around, I’ve been put on antidepressants.
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“My mood is low and the kids are constantly affected, and because my son’s had bronchiolitis since November he’s on an asthma pump.”
With her home plagued with a mould, none of her friends have visited her in nearly four years, she claimed.
She believes the issue has taken time to fix because agent HES and the housing association Notting Hill Genesis have been “blaming each other”.
She added: “Notting Hill Genesis is denying anything to do with it because I’m not their tenant.
“Then HES is saying it’s definitely down to Notting Hill Genesis because the mould is only there due to a property defect outside the building, so it’s their fault the mould’s there.”
A spokesman for HES told MyLondon: “HES has been championing the resolution for the mould issues in the flat, and also another flat we manage on the same floor, for many months as we identified at the outset that this is not a condensation issue, but rather water ingress from above.
“Notting Hill Genesis (NHG) who has responsibility for the building has been the point of contact for us to push for a resolution to investigate the roof and building structure.”
A Notting Hill Genesis spokesperson told MyLondon: “We know Tanika and her family are struggling with mould issues in their home and are working with the managing agents to resolve this.
“We are responsible for the communal areas and building structure, so are currently in consultation with residents over plans to install roof vents in the hope it will improve ventilation.
“While management of the flat, the relationship with the tenant, and internal repairs are the responsibility of the managing agents, we are arranging a mould wash to be carried out and a dehumidifier to be supplied to Tanika as a short-term measure.
“We will also follow up with the managing agents over the status of works recommended inside the flat.”
