Coroner warns Hackney landlord to act following six-month-old boy’s death

The inquest was heard at Poplar Coroners Court on Monday (December 1). Photograph: Callum Cuddeford / LDRS

A coroner has urged a property firm operating across London to act over damp and mould following an inquest into the death of an infant boy in Hackney.

In July this year, six-month-old Abdullah Ali died after contracting chicken pox. On Monday (1 December) an inquest into his death concluded that he had succumbed to encephalitis, a rare but serious inflammation of the brain which can result from the common infection.

But while the coroner ruled that Abdullah had died of natural causes, the investigation sparked concerns about the family’s living conditions.

The state of their home became clear when police officers wearing bodycams visited the one-bedroom property in Hackney and discovered “knee-high, thick and black” mould spreading up the walls.

Meanwhile, Abdullah’s four siblings, aged between 2 and 5, were forced to share a double mattress on the living room floor.

Assistant coroner Melanie Sarah Lee’s report noted the property, owned by private landlord Granddwell Estates, had a history of disrepair, including window problems and a “mouse infestation” dating back at least four years.

Though the coroner did not deem the damp, mould and overcrowding factors in Abdullah’s death, she warned the landlord to take action over the disrepair in the flat – and its other properties – to avoid the risk of future deaths.

According to its website, Granddwell Estates has properties in Hackney, Camden, Brent, Ealing, Croydon, Enfield, Lewisham and many other boroughs.

On the homepage, the property investment firm says it is “passionate for investment yielding above the market rate”, while its teams “specialise in sourcing properties that promise to significantly boost your initial investment”.

Solicitors representing Hackney Council came to the final inquest hearing on Monday, where the coroner sought clarity over the local authority’s homelessness support and social housing register policy.

The Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) heard at the hearing that the family had asked to be moved into a council home due to the extent of damp, mould and disrepair in the flat, but had been refused since they had not lived in the borough for three years.

A spokesperson for Hackney Council said: “We are deeply saddened by baby Abdullah’s death and our thoughts are with his family during this difficult time.

“We welcome the coroner’s report and fully support the scrutiny it places on the private landlord responsible for the property.

“Our officers had visited the property earlier this year and issued a notice requiring the landlord to address the disrepair and mould recorded in the report, and while the coroner found Abdullah died of natural causes, the conditions in this privately rented home were clearly unacceptable.

“Housing demand in Hackney is at crisis point, with far more families in need than the number of homes available. We allocate social housing according to a clear and lawful set of criteria to ensure fairness for all residents, but we know this offers no comfort to families living in unacceptable private rented homes.

“That is why we are expanding proactive enforcement through our landlord licensing schemes so we can hold landlords to account and prevent situations like this from happening again.

“We will review the coroner’s findings carefully and continue doing everything in our power to protect vulnerable families and improve housing standards across Hackney.”

The LDRS contacted Granddwell Estates for comment but they did not respond.

The firm has 56 days to respond to the coroner’s Prevention of Future Deaths report, which was published on Monday 1 December.