Family say mould contributed to baby's death as housing complaints soar in England

ITV News

5 days ago

The family of a 15-week-old baby who died after living in a damp, mould-ridden housing association flat say they believe the conditions contributed to his death.
Akram Mohammed was less than four months old when he died in February 2025, after spending his short life in a north London flat owned by Notting Hill Genesis.
The walls and ceiling were covered in black mould and the property smelled of damp, and Akram's parents told ITV News they believe their landlord did not sufficiently deal with their multiple complaints about the conditions in their home.
"We complained, and complained, but nothing happened," Akram's father Abdushafi told ITV News.
Abdushafi and Akram's mother Aita Mohammed say they also complained to the Housing Ombudsman in the months before Akram's death, as a new report finds complaints about social housing providers across England have soared in the last five years.
"We were crying out for help, but nobody hears" said Aita.
When he was born, Akram was a "blessing," his mother said.
"He was playful. He was a happy, happy, happy boy," Aita told ITV News.
But Aita says her son was just a month old when he began showing signs of having difficulty breathing.
"We started to hear him breathe loudly, especially at night... He was struggling to breathe," she said.
She sought medical help, including the day before Akram died, but she does not believe his condition was taken seriously.
After finding Akram in his cot struggling to breathe and frothing at the mouth, his parents rushed him to hospital but he died at the Royal Free Hospital in Hampstead on February 21.
The family's solicitor told ITV News that a pathology report indicated the little boy died of acute pneumonia due to late-onset Group B Strep infection.
Akram, as well as Abdushafi, Aita and their other two young children were living in a severely overcrowded one-bedroom apartment. Abdushafi moved into the flat in 2013, and was later joined by his wife, and subsequently their three children.
In a statement, Patrick Franco, chief executive of Notting Hill Genesis, said: 'We are deeply saddened by the tragic loss of Akram Mohammed and extend our sincere condolences to his family, their friends and neighbours. We will continue to support the family in any way we can during this difficult time.
"We know that this is a complex situation and will continue working with the relevant authorities as they conduct their investigations.
"No determination has been made by HM Coroner as to the cause of Akram's death, and it would therefore be inappropriate to comment further or to speculate at this time.'
In relation to reports of damp and mould in April 2024, Notting Hill Genesis said it investigated matters and subsequently conducted a thorough mould wash. In October 2024, the month prior to Akram's birth, Mr and Mrs Mohammed reported further issues of damp and mould, which Notting Hill Genesis was working to resolve.
An inquest will take place in August to determine the circumstances surrounding Akram's death.
In 2022 a coroner ruled that two-year-old Awaab Ishak died as a result of breathing problems caused by mould in his family's housing association flat in Rochdale.
The government is yet to fully implement 'Awaab's Law', created in his name, which would force social housing landlords to fix problems like mould, damp, and other hazards within a strict time limit.
In a new report, the Housing Ombudsman has warned "simmering anger" at poor housing conditions could lead to "social disquiet".
Complaints to the ombudsman about substandard housing are now almost five times higher than they were five years ago.
The ombudsman, which deals with disputes between residents and social housing landlords in England, said there were 6,380 complaints investigated in the year to March 2025, up from 1,111 in the year to March 2020.
Reasons for complaints included asbestos, electrical and fire safety issues, pest control and leaks, damp and mould.
The ombudsman Richard Blakeway said the rise in complaints was in part down to an ITV News long-running investigation into social housing conditions, which he says has raised awareness of the issue nationally.
'We have seen how reports such as those run on ITV News have increased the number of residents who know their rights on complaints', he said.
'It has also given them confidence that their concerns will be acted upon, and this is reflected in some of our casework where repairs that were previously stalled have now been investigated by us and resolved.
'Without change we effectively risk the managed decline of one of the largest provisions of social housing in Europe, especially in areas of lowest affordability.'