A single mother has blamed a housing association for failing to make repairs causing distress to her family life.

Caren Duhig of Long Elmes in Harrow Weald said Home Group have neglected to seal windows in the flat above her own and address a faulty heating system creating extensive mould in her home.

Home Group manage the flat above hers.

Ms Duhig, 34, said when her neighbour upstairs puts their heating on there are loud bangs on her ceiling and during heavy rainfall water leaks through her ceiling owing to the defective windows.

She reported the problem as being “ongoing” since she moved in, in October 2017.

Caren said she noticed the windows had worsened in July, adding she has suffered many “inconveniences and difficulties” as a result.

Ms Duhig said: “It’s not just that I have damp, when the tenant upstairs has the heating on we get bangs on the ceiling.

“Home Group haven’t sealed their windows properly and they’ve got a defect in their heating system and the faults in their flat are affecting ours.

“They’re not doing anything about it and the weather is only going to get worse.

“I pay £1,000 a month in rent and the Home Group flat above me is causing so many problems.

“It is an ongoing problem which they are simply not addressing, and they are responsible.

“We have dampness on the wall that returns despite how often I clean it.”

Ms Duhig said she had contacted her councillor Stephen Greek for support.

She added: “Everyone is aware of these problems, but no one is doing anything about it. They are taking a liberty with me and leaving my child and me at risk.”

Harrow Weald councillor Stephen Greek said: “Caren has unfortunately experienced many issues with the upstairs flat and I have intervened a number of times to try to help.

“Environmental Health have now agreed to take up the matter and hopefully they will be able to get the landlord to take some action. It’s time for the upstairs landlord to step up to the plate and finally get these issues resolved.”

In response, a spokesperson for Home Group, said: “We’re sorry that the work we’re undertaking at our property is causing Ms Duhig and her daughter stress. Since receiving her complaint we’ve been actively communicating with her to attempt to solve the issues that are making her unhappy.

“We’ve attempted to identify the banging noises at the property but have so far been unable to do so, we had an engineer on site yesterday to review the window seal to the flat and have requested clearance of the shared rear garden and the re-glaze of the kitchen window.

“We’re working to resolve these issues and will continue to liaise with Ms Duhig and update her on our progress.”