Tenant spent a year in flat rated ’10 out of 10′ for rats – Peabody accused of failing her

A Hackney mental health nurse has described spending more than a year living in a flat which pest control workers eventually rated 10 out of 10 for the intensity of its rat infestation — and which she says was repeatedly mishandled by her housing association, Peabody.

The tenant, who lives in discounted key worker accommodation and has asked to remain anonymous on account of the nature of her work, first noticed rodent droppings in her flat in March 2025, some months after moving in.

“I had been away for a while and when I came back there were rat droppings inside the flat and all over the edges of the rooms,” she said. “I was really alarmed.”

She immediately reported the problem to Peabody, the social landlord which manages 109,000 homes across London and the home counties, and which describes its role on its website as “to keep these places well-maintained and provide reliable landlord services”. A specialist arm provides services to around 25,000 vulnerable residents.

According to the tenant, the housing association has failed her on the most basic level.

‘Rats and mice don’t coexist’

The first warning sign, she says, was when the droppings were misidentified as belonging to mice — and a Peabody contractor told her that, as a result, the flat could not contain rats, since the two species do not coexist. It took four visits and more than a month before rats were correctly identified as the cause.

What followed became a hot-potato saga lasting more than a year, with the problem batted between pest control operatives, plumbers, builders and Peabody’s internal maintenance teams. Across the period, the tenant estimates she attended more than 50 appointments.

Meanwhile, the situation in the flat continued to deteriorate.

“I was living in a sewage stench in the bathroom for a whole year,” she said. “The rat urine was seeping through the seams of my wet room floor — I had brown liquid coming out when I was having a shower.”

‘It rained that sh*t from the ceiling’

It was not until May 2026 that substantive works finally began — and the true scale of the infestation became apparent.

“When they took away the ceiling in the bathroom, it rained that sh*t from the ceiling,” the tenant said.

It was at this point that pest control rated the infestation 10 out of a possible 10.

Across all 50-odd appointments, she says, the response had amounted to the same thing: “They filled the holes they could see easily and left all the internal bits you can’t see. That just pushed the rats into a slightly different area.”

‘How can you look after yourself in a flat with rats?’

The toll on her, she says, has been profound. A psychotherapist working long hours while writing a PhD, she says the past year has stretched her to breaking point.

“It’s basically been like an extra job. I’ve had to push back my PhD deadline twice. I’ve had treatment for insomnia. It’s affected my relationships because I’m just constantly tired.

“I work in mental health — we say look after yourself, look after yourself. But how can you if you’ve got a flat with rats in it?”

Because the property is offered at a key worker discount, she says she is effectively trapped.

“I wouldn’t be able to afford a one-bedroom flat on my own on my salary. I’d be facing flat sharing as a middle-aged woman working in mental health. That’s not an option.”

Pushed further into the building

Works completed in late May have repaired the bathroom. But the tenant does not believe the problem is over — she says she can still smell the rats in the flat, and an upstairs neighbour has already reported rats in their walls.

“The rats have been pushed further into the building,” she said. “I think it’s only a matter of time before they come back.”

Peabody was approached for comment.