Acton Woman Left Without Shower and Toilet for Years

Peabody admits it 'missed opportunities' to fix her home

Mulki Elaw, 60, in her home. Picture: Facundo Arrizabalaga/MyLondon

May 5, 2025

A woman from Acton has been forced to use her neighbour’s toilet and shower for several years because of her housing association’s failure to repair pipes and toilets. To make matters worse, there are leaks from her bathroom down to a bedroom which causes moulding rendering the room uninhabitable.

Ten years ago, Mulki Elaw, 60, was cooking in her home when her ceiling collapsed and the upstairs bathroom fell apart. This was repaired, however Ms Elaw claims a Peabody Housing Association staff member told her ‘not to bath, only to shower’ in the upstairs bathroom post-repair in case the ceiling collapsed again.

Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service [LDRS], she said, “I can’t wash in my own house. Even shower, because the leaks from the bathroom to the bedroom cause issues – it’s an issue inside the pipes… the leaks caused it [the ceiling] to collapse before. I had to throw away all of my furniture.

“I feel depressed that I have to knock on [my neighbour’s] door and tell them I need to use the toilet. It makes me feel really sad, it’s truly very difficult.”

Her upstairs toilet has also been risky to use since 2015, because the pipes cannot handle the pressure of flushing. In the instances where she has been unable to use her neighbour’s toilet, Mulki has been forced to use a plunger and drain unclogger to flush.

Additionally, if she has to use the downstairs toilet, she’s forced to fill it with jugs of water before and after because there is no water at all in that bathroom. She told the LDRS, “They came to take the sink out, but the downstairs toilet was never repaired.”

The leaks from dodgy pipes have caused moulding in one of the four bedrooms in the property. She says she has to change a bucket which collects the leaking water frequently.

She said, “We can’t use this bedroom now, no one uses it because of the leaks and mould. I reported this years ago, but they only came to fix the tiles. We don’t know where exactly the leak is coming from.”

Ns Elaw has lived in the four-bedroom property since 2004 – when all of her children were living at home. Most of her children have since moved out, apart from her son whom she cares for.

She told the LDRS that she has desperately been trying to downsize for years because she doesn’t need or use two of the bedrooms. However, she claims when she raised this with Peabody they told her to seek a house swap.

She said, “I pay all this rent for four bedrooms, I want to move out… I only need two bedrooms, a family should be here, but they told me to look for a house swap. No one wants to live in this property with the mould, and I can’t lie to them about the issues with the toilet – I couldn’t do that.”

There is a severe shortage of family sized three and four-bedroom homes both across London, and the country. Alongside ever-growing housing waiting lists, this means many families are living in hotels, B&Bs, and similar style temporary accommodation.

After years of complaining to her housing association about the issues in her home, it has taken the LDRS contacting Peabody for any action to be taken. The housing association say they are ‘very sorry’.

A spokesperson for Peabody said, “Having looked at our records, it’s clear we’ve missed some opportunities to fix problems in Ms Elaw’s home and we haven’t proactively helped her move somewhere smaller. We’re very sorry and we’ll be making sure everything is put right in her home as soon as possible, as well as supporting her with a move.”

Water damage and mould inside Mulki's home. Picture: Facundo Arrizabalaga/MyLondon

This was also possible thanks to the work of the local organisation Community Lighthouse CIC. The group, made up of only four members of staff, proactively work across the city to support people living in dangerous or poor accommodation.

Ms Elaw, a former NHS worker, is a full time carer for her son. She says she has contacted Ealing Council ‘many times’ to request the carers’ discount as part of the authority’s council tax reduction scheme.

When approached by the LDRS, a spokesperson for Ealing Council said, “Protecting our most vulnerable residents is a top priority for Ealing Council, and our council tax reduction scheme is designed to support those who cannot afford to pay.

“This resident did not receive council tax reduction when she asked for it in 2018 because they did not provide the necessary evidence when requested. The resident has since re-applied, providing the necessary evidence, and will receive reduced council tax from May. 5 We are still awaiting further information regarding the financial circumstances for her son and once we receive this her council tax reduction can be amended accordingly.”

Philip James Lynch - Local Democracy Reporter