A surveyor declared that a house was “not fit for human habitation” after a neighbour intervened on behalf of a vulnerable elderly tenant.
The "shocking" report came after the neighbour - who asked not to be named - raised the alarm after spotting a serious leak, damp and blocked drains at the property in Ariel Road, West Hampstead.
After raising problems with housing association Notting Hill Genesis but getting nowhere, he called in a specialist surveyor.
The surveyor's report reads: “The tenant said that the toilet is currently blocked and needs plumber to come out and unblock it.”
“The flat itself is in a very unclean and poor state, the bathroom in particular was very dirty.”
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The report highlighted that a waste drain was blocked and it could cause “possible flooding” during a rainstorm, which could affect neighbouring flats.
The surveyor continued: “Both the toilet and outside drains need to be unblocked, as any waste water from showering etc would/may not drain away.
“In my opinion the property is not fit for human habitation and this should be raised with the landlord and the council.”
The neighbour said: “It was just quite shocking to see.
“If it hadn’t been for us, the state of the property would have been absolutely horrendous.”
He previously flagged other problems after “months and months of complaints” such as weeds growing in the back garden that he said were “over 10-foot tall”.
This resulted in a large window being completely covered, causing a lack of natural light and damp - however this issue has now been resolved.
A spokesperson for Notting Hill Genesis said: “We want all our residents to feel safe and comfortable in their homes and try hard to resolve issues as quickly as possible. We are sorry that we haven’t achieved that in these instances.
“We have previously carried out garden clearance work at Ariel Road and are currently in contact with the resident to arrange a suitable time to visit to carry out further work.
“We are also working with the tenant to ensure their property is safe and any repairs needed are carried out.”
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