Yahoo News 'My ceiling collapsed on top of me 3 times - I woke up in bed soaked in water'
A desperate North Londoner has been prescribed antidepressants to cope with trauma after his ceiling collapsed on top of him three times, including while he was asleep in bed and another time when he was on the toilet. Former lecturer Desmond Williams, 57, who lives in a one-bed Edwardian flat in Islington has accused Peabody Housing Association of ‘not caring’ about him after his bedroom ceiling collapsed on him while he slept in April 2023.
This was the third time the ceiling in his flat has fallen in. Desmond spoke to MyLondon in January last year after the bathroom ceiling collapsed while he was sitting on the toilet in March 2022 before completely caving in just a matter of a few months later in May.
He said his home was left in such a state, flooded, with dangerous electrics, mildewed carpets, and wastewater in his living room, that he was forced to sleep rough.
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A Peabody spokesperson at the time told MyLondon the association would help Desmond, but a year and a half since the last dramatic incident he says he ‘feels numb’ and is on the cusp of ‘giving up’. He says that in April last year, when the ceiling collapsed on top of him while he was sleeping, it left water gushing in.
The 57-year-old was horrified when he woke up ‘soaked in water’. His flat was in such a state that Desmond has only lived there for a total of four months since third horror collapse, and has spent "thousands" on temporary accommodation as well as becoming reliant on friends and family's sofas.
He said: “Because of what happened last year I contacted Peabody and they came with their surveyor and together with a contract worker. They had a look at the flat and were shocked that it had happened again, so they said that they were going to raise urgent work for my flat.”
During a visit to carry out repairs throughout the flat, Desmond claims his toilet was broken and hasn't been usable for the past 18 months. Soon after that visit, Desmond got an appointment with his doctor where he was prescribed antidepressants.
Desmond’s shower and bathroom sink are also out of use as “there was a blockage between the bath and the sink which they [Peabody] raised as an emergency and said that they’d come to repair it, but they never did". As a result, Desmond had to fork out for gym memberships just so he could wash and use the loo, but after this became too costly the ex-lecturer is now solely reliant on family and friends’ bathrooms.
However, when the tradesmen came to fix the bathroom Desmond claims they removed a panel and didn’t reapply it, leading to a ‘vermin infestation’. He says Peabody sent a pest exterminator round but their efforts didn’t work.
What makes Desmond furious is that he’s now in £30,000 debt as he is unable to work after the housing horror destroyed his mental health. He also has to continue to pay his £670 monthly rent, despite currently living in a paid-for hotel due to the crumbling flat.
He said: “It’s absolutely horrendous. I can’t believe that someone can get treated like this because I’m registered as a vulnerable person. Peabody is completely aware of this, and I asked them before I moved in ‘is this a safe environment for me to be in’ and they said yes.”
All Desmond wants is to “have somewhere to live" and to get: "Some kind of compensation. I’ve been paying full rent but having to seek other accommodation but still having to pay rent. And any time I miss a payment they’re so quick to get onto me but when it comes to the repair of my living conditions they don’t care.”
Peabody has currently put Desmond up in a paid-for hotel so work can be carried out to restore his home. A Peabody spokesperson said: “We want to ensure everyone feels safe and comfortable in their home, and always work to put things right as a priority. We would have liked to have started the repairs sooner, but Mr Williams did not allow us into his home to see what needed doing. We are now paying for Mr Williams to stay in a hotel so we can carry out necessary works in full."
Got a story? Email rafi.benady@reachplc.com, or contact me on 07554 518678.
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