The 55-year-old Richmond Housing Partnership tenant said the ordeal has greatly impacted her mental health
A South London woman with incurable cancer feared she would die in her flat from exposure to mould spores.
The exhausted 55-year-old tenant said she had to battle Richmond Housing Partnership (RHP), which manages the property in Teddington, for months to properly address her concerns. Ms Moore, who did not wish to provide her first name, repeatedly reported concerns about excess moisture in the flat and health issues she was experiencing to RHP.
She was only moved out of the flat after finding an independent surveyor to carry out more detailed tests, which found high levels of mould spores in her bedroom compared to an outdoor sample. While Ms Moore has now accepted an offer of alternative accommodation from RHP, she said she should not have had to fight as hard or long as she did to get to this point.
She said: “The reason why I pushed so hard is because it’s like, I’m going to die in my own timeline of what I will die of – I am not going to die of mould.”
Annemarie Fenlon, Executive Director of Operations at RHP, said the housing association was sorry Ms Moore had felt unsafe in her home, although its own inspections had not identified evidence of “significant damp or mould” in the property so far.
Ms Fenlon said customers’ safety and wellbeing are a priority for RHP, and the organisation is investigating its handling of Ms Moore’s case.
Ms Moore has polycythaemia vera, which is an incurable type of blood cancer, as well as osteoarthritis, osteoporosis, peripheral neuropathy, chronic joint pain, limited range of motion in one arm due to a previous mastectomy, other mobility issues and severe fatigue.
She told the LDRS she found mould in the flat shortly after moving there in July 2024, which she reported to RHP.
The housing association treated the mould, installed passive vents and advised her to keep running the nine dehumidifiers she had to remove the moisture.
An independent surveyor told RHP in November 2024 they felt that “in view of the design of the property and the mould growth… it may not be suitable accommodation for someone with a serious illness” and that its issues with “humidity, condensation and mould growth… may not be completely eradicated”.
Nosebleeds and coughing
Ms Moore grew increasingly concerned about excess moisture in the flat, and whether there was mould in parts of the property she could not see, over the following months.
She said she struggled to manage emptying two 12-litre dehumidifiers every day, along with seven smaller dehumidifiers every week, due to her mobility issues.
She told the LDRS she suffered from repeated chest infections and other symptoms linked to potential mould exposure in this time – including coughing, sneezing, itching, allergies and nosebleeds – which were treated by a GP.
Ms Moore said she then found mould in a dehumidifier in August 2025 and asked RHP to properly resolve the issue.
“I said it can’t be left because I’m having serious mould symptoms,” she said. “My nose is bleeding, my eyes are watering, my nose is running. I keep getting chest infections, the respiratory issues, sinus infections all the time.”
She repeatedly told RHP that she believed her health was at risk in the flat, which was particularly worrying because of her weakened immune system.
She asked to be transferred to another property in November, which was supported by a letter from her GP, and continued raising her concerns.
‘They’re going to let me die in this place’
RHP’s contractors surveyed the flat for visible damp and mould in February 2026, but Ms Moore complained it needed deeper investigation to find any underlying issues.
She told the LDRS: “It got to a point where I thought, ‘I don’t know what’s going to happen but I need to take responsibility for this myself because RHP are going to let me die in this place. They’re not getting how it’s impacting me.”
Ms Moore contacted an independent mould specialist, who sent a surveyor to carry out more detailed tests on the property.
The surveyor found high levels of mould spores in Ms Moore’s bedroom compared to an outdoor sample, along with slightly elevated levels of spores in the living room, visible mould behind her wallpaper and building defects.
In an email to RHP, the mould specialist warned Ms Moore’s recent health issues appeared to be “directly linked with excess moisture and poor indoor air quality”.
She asked for Ms Moore to be moved into alternative accommodation urgently, while works were completed to resolve the issues. Three weeks later, however, she had not been moved.
The mould specialist again asked RHP to move Ms Moore due to her “worsening respiratory health”.
Ms Moore also complained to Richmond’s public health team.
‘It’s like I’m running a business’
RHP moved Ms Moore into a hotel the next day, on March 20, but she said the stress of the ordeal continued as she was placed in a room without a fridge to store her medication. She had to make arrangements with the hotel to use the staff’s fridge.
When RHP moved her to another hotel nine days later, she said it had not booked a room with a disabled bathroom – despite her needing this due to her mobility issues – which she again had to resolve with staff.
She said: “It’s just so, so tiring being behind them. It’s almost like running a business… how to get RHP to do what they’re supposed to do as a company in a timely manner.”
Ms Moore has been staying in serviced apartments since, as she waits to move into the alternative property she has accepted.
“Since I’ve moved out… it’s like my whole body is having a detox,” she said.
While she was relieved to be out of the Teddington property, Ms Moore said the ordeal had greatly impacted her mental health – leading her to seek support for suicidal feelings.
She said she was concerned about RHP’s response to investigating and resolving tenants’ concerns about excess moisture and potential hidden mould, particularly after Awaab’s Law came into force in 2025.
The law, named after two-year-old Awaab Ishak, who died in 2020 after he was exposed to mould at his family’s home in Rochdale, requires social landlords to investigate and fix damp and mould within strict timeframes.
Ms Moore said: “They don’t seem to be able to deal with sophisticated issues around mould. If they can’t see it, it’s not there.
“They don’t understand hidden mould, they don’t understand spores, they don’t understand air quality and, after Awaab’s Law, they should be educating themselves.”
She said she felt RHP treated tenants with indifference, almost like they were “the enemy”.
‘We’re sorry she felt unsafe’
Ms Fenlon told the LDRS: “We recognise Ms Moore’s concerns and are sorry that she felt unsafe in her home and believed her health was at serious risk. We recognise how frightening and distressing this must have been, particularly given her complex health needs, and we regret that she feels let down by our response.
“The safety and wellbeing of our customers is a priority for RHP, and we have a clear responsibility to meet building safety and statutory property compliance requirements, including how we respond to damp and mould.
“In recognition of the concerns initially raised by Ms Moore, we acted quickly to place her into temporary serviced accommodation at our own cost while investigations were carried out. We have undertaken inspections through our qualified contractors and surveyors, and the findings to date have not identified evidence of significant damp or mould within the property.”
Ms Fenlon said RHP had agreed to Ms Moore’s request for a priority move within a week of her making it, and she had accepted a new permanent home.
She added: “Ms Moore’s complaint has been escalated to stage two, and we are reviewing the handling of her case, including inspections, communication and support whilst she was temporarily moved out of her home. Where we identify learning or service failings, we will take appropriate action to put things right and improve our processes to prevent similar issues occurring again.
“We will ensure this investigation is completed thoroughly and within our complaint handling timescales. We will keep Ms Moore informed and advise her of further redress if she remains dissatisfied.”
Are you experiencing housing issues in London? Email [email protected].
SIGN our petition calling on UK Government to ban councils from making people homeless if they refuse long distance housing moves.
