With social housing complaints on the rise, ITV News spoke to Abdushafi and Aiat, who believe the damp and mould in their flat played a role in the tragic death of their baby boy, Akram.
The parents of a 15-week-old baby who died after living in a damp, mould-infested housing association flat say they believe the poor living conditions contributed to their son’s death.
Akram Mohammed was just shy of four months old when he passed away in February 2025. His family had been living in a north London property managed by Notting Hill Genesis.
An official cause of death has not yet been confirmed, and an inquest is scheduled for August to investigate how and why Akram died.
Akram’s parents told ITV News the flat had persistent black mould on the walls and ceilings, and a strong smell of damp. They claim they raised multiple complaints with their landlord, which were not acted upon.
“We complained and complained, but nothing changed,” Akram’s father, Abdushafi, told ITV News.
Both Abdushafi and Akram’s mother, Aiat Mohammed, say they also contacted the Housing Ombudsman prior to Akram’s death. Their story comes as a new report reveals a sharp rise in complaints about social housing providers across England over the past five years.
“We were crying out for help, but no one listened,” said Aiat. But Aiat says her son was just a month old when he began showing signs of having difficulty breathing. “We started to hear him breathe loudly, especially at night… He was struggling to breathe,” she said.
She sought medical help, including the day before Akram died, but she does not believe his condition was taken seriously. After finding Akram in his cot struggling to breathe and frothing at the mouth, his parents rushed him to hospital but he died at the Royal Free Hospital in Hampstead on February 21.
The family’s solicitor told ITV News that a pathology report indicated the little boy died of acute pneumonia due to late-onset Group B Strep infection.
Akram’s mother Aiat told ITV News Investigations Editor Daniel Hewitt that the family were ‘crying out for help’
Akram, along with his parents Abdushafi and Aiat, and their two other young children, had been living in a severely overcrowded one-bedroom flat. Abdushafi first moved into the property in 2013, with his wife and children joining him in the years that followed.
In a statement, Patrick Franco, Chief Executive of Notting Hill Genesis, expressed his condolences:
“We are deeply saddened by the tragic passing of Akram Mohammed and extend our heartfelt sympathies to his family, friends, and neighbours.
“We remain committed to supporting the family in any way we can during this incredibly difficult time.
“This is a complex and sensitive matter, and we will continue to cooperate fully with the authorities as their investigations proceed.
“As the Coroner has not yet determined the cause of Akram’s death, it would be inappropriate to comment further or speculate at this stage.”
Notting Hill Genesis stated that after receiving reports of damp and mould in April 2024, it investigated the concerns and carried out a full mould treatment. However, in October 2024—just a month before Akram was born—Mr and Mrs Mohammed reported renewed issues, which the housing association said it was actively addressing at the time.
An inquest into Akram’s death is scheduled for August and will examine the conditions that may have contributed to the tragedy.
The case draws parallels to that of Awaab Ishak, a two-year-old who died in 2022 due to respiratory issues caused by mould in his family’s housing association flat in Rochdale. A coroner ruled mould exposure as the direct cause of his death.
In response, the government proposed “Awaab’s Law,” a policy aimed at requiring social housing providers to fix health hazards like damp and mould within a set timeframe. However, full implementation of the law has yet to take place.
Source: ITV News, May 2025
