A man with less than three months to live will probably spend his final weeks in a property plagued with damp and black mould after efforts by his family and the council to find another home have failed.
Dimitrios Triantafyllidis, 73, has been renting a one-bedroom flat with his wife in Enfield, north London, for almost 10 years. The property is owned and managed by a private landlord but rent is paid to the council. Last year, the couple reported problems with damp and mould to the landlord but the family say the issues were not addressed.
In January, Triantafyllidis was diagnosed with lung cancer. In a letter seen by the Guardian, doctors told Triantafyllidis in September he had three months to live.
Black mould is dotted around the small flat and a black film clings to the walls. When the Guardian visited the home, the smell of damp was present in every room and was particularly strong in the bedroom.
Triantafyllidis said: “I have to keep the heater on all the time. I need to have around £500 per month to keep the heater running. I can’t – I don’t have money.”
His family say if he was moved to another property without damp and mould, he might live longer.
Triantafyllidis said: “The doctor told me to change the place I live in because [I might live longer]. They said three months but it may be a year.” His family do not claim the conditions in the property caused his illness.
Enfield council visited the property twice before Triantafyllidis’s diagnosis and said the property was not a suitable place for him and his wife to live in. At the end of January, shortly after his diagnosis, the council moved them to a Travelodge in Borehamwood, Hertfordshire – more than 10 miles from his hospital and his consultant – while they attempted to find him a new home.
Triantafyllidis had to visit the hospital for treatment twice a day but neither he nor his wife can drive, meaning they were spending £80 a day on taxis. After 10 days, the council moved them back to their old flat. In February, the couple were moved again to a Travelodge in Cheshunt, Hertfordshire. They were sent back to the flat a few days later.
Last month, the council offered Triantafyllidis and his wife a home in Harrow, more than an hour away from his family and the hospital. “His family cannot get to him for help. He would be all alone,” said one family member.
They turned down the offer. His family fear he will now die in this property. They look every day for a new home on the private rental market but are usually told the property is already gone when they inquire. They say many landlords are not willing to accept a dying tenant. Since January, they have been offered a viewing for only one property. They are fundraising to find a home for Triantafyllidis’s final months.
Triantafyllidis said: “[I dream] to be more peaceful, to be settled, not to suffer, to have peace of mind.”
The landlord told the Guardian that indoor cigarette smoking had contributed to the buildup of mould in the flat. He also said builders had visited the property in February and March but he claimed the family did not let him access the home. He also said his letting agent had attempted to begin works to fix the issues at the home last month but were denied access by the family.
The family say they have never smoked inside the home and were not aware of any builders visiting the flat in February and March. They said they did not allow works to begin last month because the fumes, dust and risk of infection were a threat to Triantafyllidis’s health as he would have remained in the property throughout.
An Enfield council spokesperson said: “Enfield council has been working closely with Mr Triantafyllidis and his family for the past few months and we are doing everything we can to assist, including taking enforcement action against the responsible landlord.
“In these very exceptional circumstances, we have made a number of offers to Mr and Mrs Triantafyllidis, including hotel accommodation, sheltered accommodation for the over-70s and a property in Harrow, the latter two of which were declined.”
