An asthma patient says Hackney Council forced him to move into a bedsit ridden with mould, telling him that if he turned it down it would put him on the streets.

Johnny, who did not want his full name published, also suffers from a long-term health condition that compromises his immune system.

He claims the conditions in his studio flat at Beck House, Stoke Newington, are making his asthma worse, leading to regular visits to Homerton Hospital.

“It gets very smelly and mouldy and if you’ve got chest problems it’s no good for you, breathing in all that black stuff,” he said.

“It’s constantly cold. In the winter it’s freezing. My asthma has got worse. I’ve sent the council letters from my GP.

“All your stuff gets mouldy. I’ve had to throw away clothes, curtains. It destroys your curtains. You have to keep wiping mould off your shoes.

“You can’t let people come and visit you. They would think you’re a tramp.”

Hackney Gazette: The ceiling of Johnny's bathroom is covered in black mouldThe ceiling of Johnny's bathroom is covered in black mould (Image: Charles Thomson)

Johnny contacted the Hackney Gazette after we reported on two of his downstairs neighbours, who have both been diagnosed with chronic lung conditions.

Hackney Council said it “desperately” wanted to help Johnny and his neighbours, but their cases showed the “heartbreaking reality” of Britain’s “broken” housing system.

“They knew I had asthma”

Johnny moved into Beck House in 2021, having previously spent two years in a hostel for the homeless.

“When I went to view the property, I told the council it had damp and mould,” claimed Johnny.

“They knew I had asthma. But they told me I had to take it because they only have to offer you one property and if you refuse it, you’ve made yourself voluntarily homeless.”Hackney Gazette: Mould is also growing in Johnny's kitchenMould is also growing in Johnny's kitchen (Image: Charles Thomson)

The council had already offered Johnny, who is in his 50s, two other properties – both of which were unsuitable.

One was in an elderly people’s complex. The other was in such disrepair that it would be months before he could move in.

So he felt under pressure to accept the third property he was offered – the damp bedsit in Beck House.

“They said, ‘Well, it’s that or the streets’,” Johnny alleged.

“But this is almost as bad as the streets. I’ve been suffering from the mould for three years now.”

Hackney Gazette: The inside of Johnny's kitchen cupboard is covered in black mouldThe inside of Johnny's kitchen cupboard is covered in black mould (Image: Charles Thomson)

“Can’t be repaired”

Hackney mayor Philip Glanville said the council was “extremely sorry” about Johnny’s situation.

But he added: “Unfortunately, [Johnny] has up to now refused to let us carry out work to his home.”

Johnny said this was because the repairs were a waste of time and would only serve to delay the only true solution, which is to rehouse him.

“I wanted to take the council to court, but I couldn’t get Legal Aid,” he said.

Hackney Gazette: There is mould growing on the walls and ceiling in the living room/bedroom of Johnny's bedsitThere is mould growing on the walls and ceiling in the living room/bedroom of Johnny's bedsit (Image: Charles Thomson)

“It’s really in a bad way. It can’t be repaired. I wipe it off. I’ve painted it twice. It just comes back. There is something wrong with this building. There are other people who have the same problem in their flats too.”

Last week the Gazette wrote about Chris Henriques and Sarah Shepherd, who have both been diagnosed with chronic illnesses after years in a mouldy flat in Beck House.

A doctor has written to Hackney Council, telling it the couple need to be rehoused “urgently”, for the sake of their health.

But the council said it had thousands of “urgent” housing cases and demand vastly outstripped supply.

Hackney Gazette: There is mould all around Johnny's bathroom windowThere is mould all around Johnny's bathroom window (Image: Charles Thomson)

Council

“We desperately want to find suitable accommodation in the borough for everyone who needs housing,” said Mayor Glanville.

“But the heartbreaking reality is that we receive hundreds of approaches a month and there are 8,370 people currently on our waiting list.

“This is why, in line with national legislation, councils are required to only make one suitable offer of housing to homeless applicants. And applicants have the right to request a review when an offer of housing is made.

“We have said time and time again that the housing system in this country is broken.

“Councils like Hackney are left to pick up the pieces after a decade of austerity and the government’s continuous failure to tackle the root causes of the housing crisis alongside welfare cuts and reforms.”