'My Nine Elms flat was flooded with raw sewage - my landlord wants £15k before she'll fix anything'

A mum-of-two's flat remains soaked in stinking raw sewage two weeks after a horrific flood erupted out of her toilet. As human faeces litters the saturated floors of Decoda Smith's Nine Elms home, the 34-year-old is holed up in a Premier Inn with her two young children with no end in sight to the nightmare, as her landlord is refusing to repair it until she gets the £15,700 she claims she is owed in missed rent.

The sewage flood is the latest in a string of incidents with the property which has included a rat infestation and several leaks, Ms Smith claims. Her two children, an 8-month-old and 7-year-old, have lost almost all their toys and possessions, which have been contaminated by the sickening spillage along with precious photos, clothing and furniture.

Ms Smith, who works as a line manager for a domiciliary care company in Hammersmith, told MyLondon: "I went to the front door and I saw that there was water coming out. I said to myself 'what is this?' When I pushed the door, I had to back up. I saw that the toilet was overflowing. I said 'Oh my days how has this happened?' The toilet overflowed, the sink is flooded in the bathroom floor and everywhere and I had to back up and I said 'God!'"

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She added: "It was afterwards reality hit, and even now I still can't come to terms that this has happened to me. So in my head mentally everything is affecting me. I feel like I'm going to go mad."

To complicate things, Ms Smith is locked in a legal battle with the private landlord, Lara Olarewaju-Sholu, with the pair issuing claims against each other in the courts to recoup what they each claim they are owed by the other party. Ms Smith claims previous leaks have damaged electrical appliances and possessions, and cost her money to clean up.

She is seeking between £5,000 and £15,000 from Ms Olarewaju-Sholu, however after the sewage leak she will be raising the further damage caused to possessions during proceedings. Meanwhile Ms Olarewaju-Sholu is seeking £15,690.81 she claims is owed in missed rent from Ms Smith, something the tenant disputes, though she does admit she missed some payments during Covid.

Speaking about what she lost in the sewage leak on Tuesday, April 2, Ms Smith said she found the flat completely flooded with raw sewage leaking out of the front door and completely saturating the ruined floors: "I went in there. I've lost everything - everything. From the sentimental items from the passing of my late mum to pass on to my kids, photos, this, that and the other; my bed, my furniture - everything, my kids' stuff. Everything is gone. Everything is gone. I can't take things from that property to a new property - those are [other people's] faeces from everywhere."

The sewage flood is just the latest of a plethora of issues with the flat, Ms Smith claims. She and her daughter moved into the flat in 2019 with the help of Lambeth Council.

Difficulties started off with a serious rat infestation. She also claims a faulty boiler has been causing ongoing heating and hot water shortages and there have been electricity issues, drainage issues, a water leakage under cupboards, broken cupboards and condensation.

Ms Smith said: "We were eating with rats and we didn't even know. Me and my daughter at the time were having diarrhoea and vomiting not knowing that the rats were going in our food."

Ms Olarewaju-Sholu told MyLondon she has done her "duty of care" to Ms Smith, but said she will not make further repairs until the alleged missing rent is paid. She also claims her tenant has obstructed workmen who have come to fix issues. Ms Smith claims she only did so via doorbell camera when she was not at the property.

Ms Olarewaju-Sholu said: "I'm paying two mortgages and am under so much stress." She added: "I've done nothing wrong and I've done my duty of care to my tenant. The rat infestation was dealt with as she took me to environmental health and the holes were blocked, I have the report from environmental health. I'm not doing any repairs unless she has paid and assures me she'll let the workmen complete the repairs without obstructing them."

Due to problems with the property, the flat was deemed unliveable for several months, and from April 2022 to November 2023 Ms Olarewaju-Sholu's insurance was paying for the lost rent, the landlord confirmed. Ms Smith had to move out which she said meant she had to sofa-surf with her young daughter in people's houses while also pregnant with her youngest.

Ms Smith said: "You can't go into nobody's house and stay in their property with a child and you're pregnant. They have rent, they've got this they've got that - mortgage, bills. I can't go into their home and not pay. So I'm accumulating extra costs." Ms Smith has launched a GoFundMe page to help pay for the cost of replacing some of her family's possessions. It has so far raised £1,889.

In an email to Lambeth Council about her issues with her tenant, Ms Olarewaju-Sholu said: "These issues with the tenant you put in my flat is enough to drive someone crazy, lead to depression and even suicidal."

What does Lambeth Council say?

A Lambeth Council spokesperson said: "We helped Ms Smith to find private rented accommodation after she came to us for assistance in 2019. The landlord is responsible for repairs and maintenance to the property, and the problems highlighted were raised with her to rectify. We are sorry for the inconvenience and frustration Ms Smith has experienced with her landlord.

"After the latest issues were reported to us earlier this month, we found emergency accommodation for the family; this has been extended beyond the originally scheduled end date. Our staff have discussed Ms Smith's housing situation with her, and the complaints she has made. Ms Smith is due to meet our placements team this week, regarding temporary accommodation."

They added that the council does "everything we can" to find homes for people who need them but the housing crisis in London means there is a "significant shortage of suitable and affordable housing" including in the private rented sector. Over 40,000 households are on the waiting list for social housing in Lambeth and, every night, the council provides temporary accommodation for over 3,900 homeless families – including more than 5,000 children.

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