The ‘luxury’ Croydon apartment block with ‘repulsive’ black mould where residents fear getting cholera

Residents living in a ‘luxury’ Croydon apartment block have said they feel ‘unsafe’ and fear getting cholera because of ‘repulsive’ black mould and leaks. Online videos have also shown residents living in the building with more severe issues like collapsed ceilings.

Those at The Fold in Croydon say they have experienced constant problems while living there. Tom Willoughby, who lives with his partner, said that they had issues with black mould which even made his cat sick.

“All I wanted to do was have a bath every single day,” he said. “It’s supposed to be this high end luxury apartment. I started to feel incredibly unsafe.”

READ MORE: London homelessness 'unsustainable' as council calls for help with 1,600 families in temporary homes

Tom started to experience problems with his apartment after noticing mould in a cupboard in July, almost a year after first moving into the flat. He noticed the mould after some books he was storing in the cupboard fell over, so isn't sure when exactly it started growing.

Upon the instruction of building management, he says he started cleaning the mould from the wall for it to only grow back in different places. It then began growing around the ventilation unit, which they had to turn off in May to resolve issues with faulty electrics in the flat.

“This mould just went crazy, it went from being this gradual growth, to climbing up the walls. It stank, it was so repulsive," he said.

Tom and his partner were then moved to a different home in the apartment block. He still has keys for his old flat and has gone back to visit it several times.

“Honestly the mould is now on every single wall in the apartment and in some places it's like solid black mould, the wall with all the electrics in it is covered, it's like black,” he said.

Another resident told MyLondon that they had experienced similar issues with mould and leaks. They first began noticing issues in the reception and communal areas of the apartment building which began around Halloween last year.

“It wasn’t even like dripping but like raining inside, like special effects, like Halloween Special effects,” they said.

In July the leaking then began in their apartment, forcing them to leave buckets out to collect water which was falling from the shower head, ventilation unit and light.

“The leaking started through the cupboards in the corridors and through the floors it also started to leak, and the smell came, it was horrible like damp," they said. “The smell from that water was really bad and I was worried my child could get cholera or something.”

The resident said they had also experienced persistent issues with the hot water not working in the flat for around six months, before it finally stopped for the whole Easter weekend when their young daughter had diarrhoea. They were eventually moved to a hotel for one of these nights but the resident still feels as if the Easter period was ruined for them.

They added: “It’s a celebration time, it's Easter. I'm a Christian we wanted to celebrate somehow but we couldn’t go anywhere because my daughter had a problem and we didn’t have water. I was trying to clean her with the cold water but it was not ideal.”

Other videos from online show residents with similar issues, with some more severe such as collapsed ceilings. A WhatsApp group has now been made, with residents using this to petition the management group.

"We have ensured residents are offered clean, comfortable and secure living environments while addressing these issues"

A spokesperson for Legal and General who manages the building said: “Following the main contractor going out of business earlier this year, we can confirm that build quality issues have been identified at The Fold, Croydon.

“As owner of the property, we are deeply concerned that our residents have been affected by these issues. We have intervened, alongside the managing agents, and are taking every action possible to ensure they are resolved quickly and any inconvenience caused is minimised.

“We have ensured residents are offered clean, comfortable and secure living environments while addressing these issues, and are working closely with the developer, insurers and specialist contractors to resolve the root cause.

“Initial surveys and mitigation work have already taken place, with further extensive work due to commence in October.

“In nearly all cases, within a 24 hour period, we have provided alternative clean, comfortable and secure accommodation within the building for affected residents to relocate to. In addition to relocation, we are consulting with impacted residents to discuss compensation. We will continue to ascertain long-term solutions as an urgent priority, and continue to engage closely with residents on the process and our progress.”

Got a story? Please get in touch at katherine.gray@reachplc.com

Get the biggest Croydon news, breaking updates and features straight to your inbox. Sign up to our Croydon Central newsletter here.