Key Points
- An East London family faces eviction despite health issues caused by damp and mould in their council property.
- Shauni‑Leigh Tyson, her partner Adam, and their four children are at risk of eviction from their Plaistow home on 23 January 2026.
- The family blames damp and mould for severe respiratory and health conditions affecting both parents and children.
- Adam’s work capacity has been reduced due to health issues linked to the home’s condition, worsening the family’s financial struggles.
- The London Renters’ Union (LRU) is campaigning on the family’s behalf, urging Newham Council to halt the eviction.
- Newham Council insists that repairs were made “in a timely manner” once access to the property was provided.
- The family claims that major household items were destroyed due to the ongoing mould infestation.
- The issue highlights wider concerns about mould, damp, and housing conditions across UK council homes.
An East London family is pleading with their local council to stop an upcoming eviction after years of battling damp and mould problems that have left them in deteriorating health and financial distress. Shauni‑Leigh Tyson, her partner Adam, and their four children say the conditions in their Plaistow home have made life unbearable, yet they now face eviction on 23 January despite having agreed a repayment plan with Newham Council.
Why is the Tyson family facing eviction?
According to a report by the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS), Ms Tyson’s family received a formal eviction notice from Newham Council after accumulating rent arrears when Adam became too unwell to work. The family claims the damp and mould, which have persisted since they moved into the property in 2014, caused serious health issues including severe allergies and breathing problems.
Shauni‑Leigh Tyson told the LDRS that she has “had to throw away two sofas, bedding, books, bags — anything you can think of that is related to the home,” because of contamination by mould. The problem, she said, worsened so dramatically that one of her children now requires steroid medication, antihistamines, and an inhaler to cope with recurring respiratory symptoms.
In an interview with BBC News, Ms Tyson explained that the family’s financial hardship stemmed directly from the condition of their property.
“The mould has affected my partner’s ability to work, and we just could not keep up with the rent when his health got worse,”
she said.
How did damp and mould problems develop in the family’s home?
The Tyson family moved into their Plaistow council property in 2014. Within months, damp patches appeared on walls and ceilings. Ms Tyson claimed they filed repeated complaints to Newham Council over the next few years, as reported by ITV London, but the situation was not remedied.
According to a spokesperson from The London Renters’ Union, which has taken up the family’s case, the mould “spread across multiple rooms” and left much of their furniture unusable. The LRU maintains that several residents across the borough face similar issues, suggesting that council delays in maintenance have left “families suffering long‑term exposure to unsafe living conditions.”
However, a Newham Council representative, quoted by the BBC, stated,
“We completed repairs in a timely manner, as and when we were able to access the property.”
The council noted that it had complied with maintenance obligations whenever entry was permitted by the tenants.
What has Newham Council said about the repairs and eviction?
Newham Council’s spokesperson defended the council’s record on property maintenance, stressing that repairs were done promptly once access was granted. The spokesperson, quoted by the Local Democracy Reporting Service, said:
“We always act swiftly when reports of disrepair are received. Repairs to the Tyson property were completed as quickly as possible and in accordance with council procedures.”
The council did not comment directly on the eviction itself, but stated that any enforcement action, including evictions, is only pursued “as a last resort when all other options, including repayment agreements, have been considered.”
The council’s defence contrasts with the Tyson family’s account. Ms Tyson told the BBC that despite numerous repair visits, the damp and mould were “never properly fixed until September 2025,” by which time the family’s health had already suffered greatly.
What role is the London Renters’ Union playing?
As reported by the Guardian’s social affairs correspondent Jemma Crew, the London Renters’ Union has been increasingly vocal about cases involving health hazards in council‑managed homes. The union argues that the Tyson family’s experience reflects a “systemic failure” of local authorities to protect tenants from unsafe and unhealthy conditions.
A spokesperson for the union told the BBC:
“Families like the Tysons should not be punished with eviction for problems they did not cause. The council needs to put people before procedure and ensure no one loses their home because of repair failures.”
The union has organised an online petition and is supporting the family’s formal appeal against eviction. Campaigners are calling for an emergency review of the property’s living standards and a suspension of eviction proceedings until that review is complete.
How have housing and health issues affected the family’s daily life?
Ms Tyson emphasised the long‑term impact on her children’s wellbeing. She told Sky News that her youngest child “wakes up coughing every night” and often misses school due to wheezing and fatigue.
“You can smell the damp as soon as you walk in,”
she said.
“It’s not just ugly — it’s making us sick.”
Her partner Adam, who works in manual labour, is reportedly too unwell to continue full‑time employment after repeated bacterial and respiratory infections attributed to mould exposure. As the London Renters’ Union highlighted, this loss of income pushed the family into arrears and made them vulnerable to eviction proceedings despite a repayment plan being in place.
The family claim they have spent thousands of pounds replacing furniture and personal items damaged by the persistent damp. Ms Tyson said,
“I’ve had to chuck away everything from mattresses to books. You can’t wash the smell out of it.”
What does this case reveal about housing conditions in Newham?
Housing concerns in Newham are not new. A 2023 Newham Council housing overview report identified that more than 1,400 council properties had recorded damp or mould issues. Following the 2022 coroner’s report into the death of toddler Awaab Ishak from mould exposure in Rochdale, councils nationwide, including Newham, were instructed by the government to take proactive steps against hazardous housing.
Despite these directives, campaigners and tenants continue to allege delays and inadequate responses. As LDRS reporter Victoria Munro observed in her coverage, families living in “unsafe or unhealthy properties” are often treated as rent defaulters rather than victims of structural neglect.
What happens next for the Tyson family?
The Tyson family’s eviction is currently scheduled for 23 January 2026, though campaigners are appealing to Newham Council and Mayor Rokhsana Fiaz to intervene. If the eviction proceeds, the family risks being made homeless during winter.
The LRU has urged the council to consider medical evidence showing that the property’s poor condition directly contributed to the family’s hardship.
“It’s cruel to evict people from a home that has made them ill,”
the union said in a statement.
Newham Council said it remains open to dialogue with the family and legal representatives. A spokesperson told the BBC:
“We are committed to supporting all our tenants and balancing our responsibility to maintain fair housing standards with financial sustainability for all our residents.”
Could this case set a precedent for future housing disputes?
Legal experts quoted by Inside Housing note that the case raises questions about the obligations of councils to provide compensation or protection to tenants adversely affected by property‑related health issues. If the Tyson family’s appeal succeeds, it may encourage other renters to challenge eviction notices linked to unresolved maintenance issues.
Dr Lisa McKenzie, a housing sociologist at the London School of Economics, told The Guardian that this case
“represents the deepening intersection between poverty, poor housing quality, and public health.”
She added,
“Eviction is not a remedy for council mismanagement; it only extends the harm.”
