London mum of 3 is terrified her kids are getting ‘poorly’ from their leaky house with ‘black mould’ in almost every room

A north London mum with three children claims her family are living in such chronically damp conditions they are getting constantly “poorly.”

Kaara Benstead, 36, a self-employed actor and producer who currently works from home, is desperate to be moved out of her rented accommodation in Islington, where she has lived since 2016 with her partner and their three children, aged 16, 14, and 4.

Ms Benstead said the house, which is managed by Partners Islington on behalf of Islington Council, has been in a state of disrepair since her family moved in, and she has ” exhausted every avenue” in trying to improve the situation .

READ MORE:London mum living in leaky and ‘overcrowded’ house where all 4 of her children sleep in same room

The mum-of-three said they have rotting windows; mice running through the floorboards; drainage problems which have left the toilet “backed up a few times;” and a leak in the roof of the house.

Kaara said there is “black mould” in almost every room of her house, and it is getting worse

She said the leaky roof causes water to seep into her and her partner’s bedroom every time it rains, rendering the room “completely unusable” and forcing the couple to sleep in the living room.

“My heating system isn’t working properly, it breaks every winter,” she added.

Ms Benstead said both she and her 14-year-old autistic son are asthmatic, and blames the damp and “black mould” in almost every room of the house for their conditions.

“It can’t be good for us constantly breathing this in,” said Ms Benstead, who added: ” I got diagnosed as asthmatic while living there, and I’m sure that’s why my son got asthma.”

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Kaara claims the house was already in a state of disrepair when her family moved in, in 2016

The exact cause of asthma, a breathing condition causing airways to narrow and become clogged with mucus in response to certain triggers, is unknown, although the NHS lists “mould or damp” among a list of triggers which cause asthma symptoms.

Ms Benstead described how she used to be homeless before she managed to secure accommodation with social housing services, but added since then, ” I just feel completely let down.”

“I haven’t been sleeping properly for a long time,” admitted the stressed mum, who said she feels particularly desperate for her two teenage children, who want to have friends over but wouldn’t dream of it due to the state of the house.

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The mum-of-three said the windows are also ‘rotting’

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Kaara is convinced the mould and damp is making her family sick

Her 16-year-old daughter is also trying to study towards her GCSEs, but Ms Benstead said this is hard with the main living room being used as a bedroom, as “t here’s no space in the house for anybody.”

Ms Benstead described how her family “can’t afford to privately rent” in London, and would have to move out of the city in order to take control over their living situation.

“Social Housing is supposed to be there for people to help you,” said the mum, who added: “It should be a certain standard.”

On the contrary, she said, “it feels like the house is falling down around our ears. One of us is always feeling poorly.”

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Kaara Benstead, 36, is desperate for her family of 5 to be moved out of their Islington House, which has mould in almost every room

“They moved us into this property with disrepair – this property wasn’t ready to be lived in when we moved in,” she added.

“My whole adult life I’ve never lived somewhere that’s problem-free,” said Ms Benstead, who added: “My t wo older kids have never lived in a home that’s been disrepair free.”

MyLondon have reached out to Islington Council and Partners Islington for a comment.

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