A FAMILY-OF-SEVEN claim they have had to endure freezing temperatures in a two-bedroom house with rotten bannisters and mould-blackened walls.
Tim Moore, 36, lives with his wife Sharon, 34, and five daughters in Arbour Road, Chingford.
His three eldest daughters, Charlotte, 13, Mercedes, 11 and Bobbie 9, share two single beds in one bedroom, while mum and dad share the other with the youngest – Megan, two, and three-and-a-half month old Tayla.
Mr Moore, a former retails assistant who is currently unemployed, said: “It’s a really horrible place to live. You can see your breath form in front of you over winter and we have to spend £10 a day on an electric heater just to warm ourselves.
“It’s been condemned five times by surveyors who call it dangerously uninhabitable, but still we have to live here.”
A rotten bannister in the house has broken away from the stairs, leaving an unguarded drop from the staircase.
Mr Moore added: “It’s really worrying – especially for my daughters, who could suffer a fall. I’m definitely scared for their well-being.”
The couple have lived in the house for nine years, and Mr Moore says he first reported the problems to East Thames Housing Association, which maintains the property, when things got bad two years ago.
He said: “We have asked on numerous occasions but they don’t do anything to help. We don’t know what else to do.”
A spokeswoman for East Thames said: “The home is safe and we have carried out recent gas and electrical repairs.
“However, we acknowledge the home needs work and we are carrying out improvements.
“New windows and a new front door have been ordered to improve the warmth and security of the property and any necessary repairs will be carried out within the next week.
“We have been working closely with Mr and Mrs Moore to help them move to a property that meets their needs. There is a large demand for family-sized homes, so we have been trying to offer alternatives as there is very little stock in the areas they want to move to.
“We have encouraged the family to widen their search to different parts of east London and have offered to pay the deposit if they find a suitable private rented home.”
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