Sheffield mum wins £5k over council inaction after damp ceiling collapses overnight

Sheffield resident and teaching assistant Matashi Muli put up with leaks, mould, and dampness in her house after she and her children moved into the property in November 2018.

Three months after their arrival she began to notice damp patches on the ceiling and attempted to paint over them.

Matashi said she then called Sheffield Council, who claimed the patches were mould and that they would hire an external service to remove it. However, it was another two years before someone would come out to repair the roof.

Along with this mould growth, she also had to put up with leaks in the kitchen ceiling when people were showering upstairs as well as a leaking electricity box.

Speaking about the ordeal, Matashi said: “It was very stressful.

“It put us all off the house.”

A few years later, she noticed a leak in both the corridor and the children’s bedrooms.

She said she alerted the council again, stating that her children’s bedroom in particular was becoming damaged with cracks forming on the ceiling.

However, the council claimed that the leak Matashi reported was coming from the neighbour’s house.

Not long after this, the ceiling in the hallway collapsed while they were sleeping, and the council were called out again.

Matashi said although the council cleared away the debris from the collapsed ceiling, the hole itself has been left open ever since.

“My children don’t want to look at it – it’s scary for them,” she said of the uncovered ceiling.

During this period, Matashi’s daughter began suffering from asthma, an illness which she had no symptoms of before moving into the house.

Matashi continued: “The situation has affected me with everything.

“Every time it rains, I become worried about leaks and have to put buckets everywhere.”

In 2022 Matashi contacted the team at Veritas Solicitors who were able to secure a £5,000 settlement and a period of three months for the council to fix her ceiling.

Of the settlement awarded, Matashi said: “It was a long procedure but at the end I got a good result.”

“I feel so much better knowing I now have a safe home.”

Managing Partner at Veritas Solicitors, Faraz Fazal, said: “What our client has had to endure should not have been allowed to happen.

“We believe that a safe and healthy living environment is a basic human right, and we will continue to fight for this.”

Matashi added: “I want the council to change the way they deal with people and follow up if someone calls for a repair.

“They need to look after people in these houses better. We’re human beings.”