Council put homeless Lewisham family in mouse-infested flat

Sarah Shaw, 52, and her four children were ejected in 2021 from their Downham home of 11 years, under a Section 21 “no-fault” eviction notice.

They have since spent almost two years in dilapidated “temporary” accommodation in Lambeth, but now face a no-fault eviction from that property as well.

“It’s made my depression a lot worse,” said Sarah, tearfully. “I recently started up going to therapy for suicide prevention because I just felt lost and that I’m failing everybody and that I can’t cope.”

Sarah struggles to find work because a rare skin condition makes her allergic to the sun and to lots of substances commonly encountered in indoor workplaces, such as soaps, oils and cleaning products.

She receives £949 per month in benefits, from which she must pay £469 towards the monthly rent on her mouse-infested temporary flat, a short walk from Oval station.

The mice move quickly, said the family, but they managed to snap this photo of one scurrying across the floor of their 'temporary' accommodation (Image: Shaw family)

Since the beginning of this year, she has also had to pay £200 per month towards an energy debt, after her provider claimed she had previously been undercharged.

That leaves less than £75 per week to feed her children and get them to school and college.

When they were first evicted, the family was paying £500 per month to store their belongings.

But they’ve now been in the Lambeth flat for nearly two years. When the storage cost became untenable, they were forced to sell or give away many possessions.

Sarah’s oldest child, 23-year-old Shane, has depression, anxiety and PTSD. They were supposed to start a two-year course of intensive psychotherapy in 2021, but after being placed in Lambeth they were no longer eligible for the service.

Sarah Shaw with two of her children, 12-year-old Ocean and 23-year-old Shane (Image: Charles Thomson)

Sarah’s other three children, all still in education, faced a 90-minute commute to school or college every day – but it was important to her that they not have to leave all their friends behind.

“They were so traumatised and upset, I didn’t want to take that one thing away from them and leave them even more isolated,” she said.

Sarah said she recently sold a pair of shoes so one of her children could top up their Oyster card and go to college.

Shane recently got a job in a gym.

“I earn enough to support myself, but not enough to dig us out of this situation,” said Shane.

The family say the temporary flat Lewisham Council has placed them in – owned by a private landlord – is mouse-infested and in disrepair.

The boiler in the family's temporary accommodation has a sticker on it saying they should not use it because it is dangerous (Image: Charles Thomson)

Their boiler is condemned and they can only switch their shower on and off with a screwdriver.

Their washing machine has not worked for a year, meaning Sarah’s income must now also cover regular visits to a launderette.

One day, a cupboard fell off the kitchen wall. A jar exploded as it hit the floor and cut Sarah’s leg.

In September they received an email (seen by the News Shopper) containing a possession order. The landlord told the family to leave the flat as soon as possible.

But the order listed the defendant as the management company which looks after the flat, not the family. They remain unclear as to their legal standing.

Sarah has been given bidding rights for council properties, but has never been higher than 138th in the priority ranking.

“It’s because of the low priority band we’ve been given,” said Shane. “We asked the council about moving up a band. They said we had to fill out a change of circumstance form, but there’s a 26-week wait to have it assessed.”

A cupboard fell off the wall in the family's temporary accommodation, near Oval tube station, injuring Sarah's leg, they claimed (Image: Shaw family)

The family hope to move back to Downham, or somewhere nearby.

“I’m so isolated here,” said Sarah. “I’ve lived my whole live in Lewisham. It’s where my family is.

“I haven’t seen my dad for over a year now. He’s elderly and can’t travel, and I can’t afford to go there.”

Lewisham Council said it had more than 10,000 families on its housing waiting list, but “a severe shortage of social housing”.

It said it always tried to find temporary housing within the borough but it wasn’t always possible.

“We are sorry that the Shaw family has had the added stress and uncertainty of being presented with an eviction notice,” it said.

“We are seeking clarification from the housing provider… We have added the Shaw family to our transfer list for a move to alternative accommodation.

“One of our officers is making contact to address any outstanding repair issues in the meantime.”

The family’s landlord was approached for comment but did not respond.