Mouldy Hotel and No Hot Water Awaits London Mom Moved From Mouldy Flat

A mom in North London called her housing awful. She lives there with her two kids. The council moved them to a hotel room last year because her old home had terrible conditions. The new room has mold, she said, and they have had no hot water for five months.

Candy Cole is 37 years old. She moved in September with her son, who is 15, and her daughter, who is four. Their old flat in Willesden had mold, which made her son’s autism and asthma worse, as he slept on a mattress.

Candy says the hotel room also has mold around the windows that has been there for five months. She said she didn’t see it at first and thought it was cleaned off. The mold came back in three weeks, she said. She went away for the weekend, and when she returned, it was really bad. She thinks living there is horrible.

Candy said they have no hot water since September. The room has a shower, but there is no hot water. The tap also has no hot water, which she finds unacceptable. She didn’t think people lived like this.

Candy thought she’d only stay six weeks and that the council would find a home. This situation hurts their health, affecting their mental and physical states.

She said Christmas was awful, as they had no tree and nowhere for toys. She thinks the council will do nothing and dislikes how Brent Council treated her.

She got a direct offer before, meaning the council finds a place. Now, she bids for a home, and they moved her to a higher band. She is in ‘Band A’ now, and she thinks the council helps her.

Brent Council advised Candy to allow repairs while they seek new housing. They gave her the highest priority, and the team will consider her needs for a home.

Cllr Fleur Donnelly-Jackson, a housing cabinet member, said they feel sorry and that officers will check on her issues. The provider fixes these problems now.

She added they must use emergency housing as a last resort. They will help Candy find a long-term home and will work with her.