‘It’s been raining in the house’: Clarion to pay compensation to family on Eastfields estate

By Tara O’Connor, Local Democracy Reporter

A housing association has promised to pay a nurse compensation after a leak caused thick black mould in a bedroom making it unusable for five months.

Patricia Brown lives on the notorious Eastfields Estate in Mitcham where horrendous living conditions have been exposed.

It is one of three estates in Merton run by Clarion Housing Group which is due to be redeveloped as part of a £1.3billion project. The council transferred its housing stock to the housing association back in 2010.

Mrs Brown said she first reported the leak in one of her bedrooms in January and claims Clarion has failed to turn up for booked appointments to carry out the repairs.

Clarion said it will pay the family compensation which will be calculated after work is carried out and based on how long the room was out of action.

However, Mrs Brown said she had not been contacted about compensation at the time of publication.

The 54-year-old lives with her husband, two daughters and granddaughter.

She said: “It has literally been raining in the house, we haven’t been able to use the whole bedroom since January.”

The nurse said Clarion repair people managed to stop the water after a few visits but booked the final repair for the end of May.

Clarion said it would carry out the “final element of the work” today and pay the family compensation.

Mrs Brown said: “We were told it was caused by the overflow of the toilet from upstairs. We had the exact same problem four years ago in the same room. It is disgusting to know that is it the overflow from the toilet, that is the last thing you want to hear.

The family has lived in the property for the past five years and pays £600 a month in rent to the housing association.

On the future of the estate, Mrs Brown said: “I am happy it is going to be knocked down, but right now we don’t know when it is going to happen. Because of that, they have not been doing anything, it wasn’t until all the problems were raised in the press that they went knocking on people’s doors.

“Knocking it down is good but in the meantime, we still live here. We pay full rent and we deserve to have a decent place to live.”

A spokesman for Clarion said: “We are sorry this household has been experiencing mould in their third bedroom; we acknowledge the inconvenience this has caused them and are committed to making things right as soon as possible.

“Our contractor has identified the root cause – a leak originating from another property –  and we are in the process of finishing what has been a complex repair.

“We have agreed compensation for the loss of a room to cover the period the bedroom has been out of use and have supplied dehumidifiers. Once the repair work is complete, we will also be making good any damage that has occurred in the room.”

Pictured top: Mould and leak damage at the home on Eastfields estate in Mitcham (Picture: Patricia Brown)