I would like urgent advice and insight from anyone who has dealt with council housing failures for private tenants, legal battles, or forced homelessness due to totally inhumane and uninhabitable living conditions caused mostly by local authority neglect. My property is privately rented. I live with housing Category 1 hazards, and I am asking for advice because this situation is ongoing.
What is a Category 1 Hazard?
A Category 1 hazard is the most serious level of housing danger under the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS). It means the conditions pose an immediate and severe risk to health or life. Councils are legally required under the Housing Act 2004 to take action when a property has a Category 1 hazard.
My property currently has three Category 1 hazards. These have been getting worse, and for four years, I have reported and requested help from Merton Council non-stop for most of this time.
Merton Council has been fully aware of my case for years. Yet, despite their own Environmental Health reports, legal obligations, and repeated complaints, they have refused to act.
My Reality: Living in a Dangerous Home
For four years, I've been trapped in an uninhabitable, rat-infested, water-contaminated flat, with no heating. This is not an exaggeration—this is my daily life:
- Rat Infestation – Worse Than You Can Imagine
Hundreds, possibly thousands, of rats—some massive—live inside the walls, beneath the floorboards, inside the plumbing, and throughout the entire building and garden of 6 self-contained flats.
They infest the sewage system, confirmed by three pest control specialists, all of whom stated it's among the worst infestations they’ve ever witnessed. Rats have damaged plumbing systems and constantly cause internal structural harm.
At all times of day and night, I hear them scratching, banging, clawing, and running along metal pipes, inside walls, and beneath floorboards.
The sound isn’t just noise—it’s a constant horror, a reminder that I'm surrounded by vermin.
I suffer from severe sleep deprivation. Tonight, like most nights, I will remain awake past 5:50am due to the constant loud noises they make around my living space (for instance, beneath my bed or within walls inches from where I sleep). Even during the day, when my severe fibromyalgia is at its worst, I get no rest—the rats never stop.
Neighbours have also complained, but Merton Council still refuses to act.
- Contaminated Water – Merton Council is Fully Aware
The water stinks strongly of sewage and frequently stains everything it touches.
After washing, it leaves brown residue on surfaces and even my skin.
It's impossible to use for cooking, cleaning, or washing dishes—even mopping floors attracts more rats because of the smell.
Thames Water tests confirmed dangerously high levels of lead, fluctuating just below and sometimes likely above the legal threshold, given my reported symptoms. Thames Water and the Drinking Water Inspectorate both advised me in writing to ask Merton Council to urgently investigate the internal plumbing.
I provided these letters to Ross Garrod and all council departments, but they've all ignored them.
- No Heating – No Safe Living Conditions
There's no proper heating, legally making the property unfit for human habitation.
I can’t even safely use the minimal heating available because it attracts rats beneath the floors. (As I write this, there's a rat rustling beneath the floorboards by the heater, forcing me to switch off the only heat source available.)
I am constantly, forced out of my home because of the unbearable combination of rats, contaminated water, and freezing conditions.
Ross Garrod – Leader of Merton Council
Ross Garrod is my local councillor here in Mitcham; he is also the Leader of Merton Council. He oversees Housing, Environmental Health, and Adult Social Care. His name carries authority in Merton.
I personally invited Ross Garrod multiple times to visit my property, which is literally one minute away from his surgery location in the local library. Yet, he has taken no action at all to help me or even talk about my category 1 hazardous flat.
Systemic Neglect – How Merton Council Broke and are Still Breaking the Law
This is not incompetence—it's systemic neglect. Each relevant council department has broken clear legal obligations:
Environmental Health: Legally obligated under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 and Public Health laws to take enforcement action against severe infestations and water contamination—but they refused to act despite confirming these hazards.
Housing Department: Legally required by the Housing Act 2004 to address Category 1 hazards immediately, (I have 3 Cat 1 hazards). Instead, they repeatedly denied my requests for safe alternative housing.
Social Services & Adult Care: Required under the Care Act 2014 and Equality Act 2010 to support disabled residents facing severe housing dangers. They refused to intervene even after they themselves found the property inaccessible due to the severity of the rat infestation.
This isn't incompetence—it's systemic, deliberate neglect across multiple council departments, each illegally refusing responsibility and passing the problem on to someone else.
What I've Done to Challenge This
✅ Submitted multiple formal complaints – All ignored or dismissed.✅ Escalated concerns to my MP & councillors – No removal of the 3 cat 1 hazards.✅ Requested emergency housing – Repeatedly denied, despite overwhelming medical evidence.✅ Involved pest control & Thames Water – Their official reports clearly prove dangers, yet Merton Council continues to ignore these findings.
Seeking Advice & Guidance
Have you experienced anything similar with your council, especially as a disabled or vulnerable person?
Have journalists or housing campaigners successfully intervened to force council action?
Are there legal strategies or actions I might not yet have tried to compel quicker council response?
How can I effectively hold Environmental Health and Housing accountable for their legal violations?
I have video evidence of the rat infestation, photos of water contamination, and over 200 pages of legal evidence, including court filings, Environmental Health reports, and medical documentation.
My experience isn't unique—this is evidence of widespread, deliberate neglect by Merton Council, which must be affecting other tenants, both disabled and non-disabled.
Thank you for any advice or shared experiences.