Dozens of rats have been filmed scurrying into the pipework and walls of the building.
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LBC
Residents of a block of flats managed by one of the UK’s biggest housing associations have told LBC that rats have “take[n] over the whole building” after the landlord failed to tackle the problem for a year.
Shocking footage shared exclusively with us shows dozens of rodents scurrying up the building’s internal pipework and into the walls of the 12 flats at Crystal Court in Hackney.
Families living at the property have vented their fury at the housing association, Notting Hill Genesis, for not addressing the issue, which has resulted in people being kept awake at night by the sound of rats scratching and running around in the building’s walls.
Notting Hill Genesis, which houses around 130,000 people in London and the south-east, apologised to residents, but claimed to have initiated “extensive pest control and prevention work”.
‘Worst nightmare’
Samantha has been living at Crystal Court for over a decade. She told LBC she has been experiencing her “worst nightmare,” and that the housing association’s inaction had exacerbated the problem.
“You can hear them squealing, you can hear them running, you can hear them scratching, she lamented. “When they run across the ceiling, it sounds like there are 10 of them – not just one solo rat.
“They [the rats] have taken over the whole building. When I first reported it, they were only in one wall – the external wall on the left – [but] because the issue went untreated, they’ve scratched their way through and they’re now in every single wall and ceiling.
“I’ve said to them [Notting Hill Genesis]: ’This should be our home and our sanctuary. If this was a restaurant and there was like one rat, it would be closed down’… and this is how we’re expected to live.”
LBC has seen correspondence which shows that Samantha has been consistently raising her concerns with Notting Hill Genesis since August 2024.
One resident described the problem as her “worst nightmare”.
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LBC
Her distress is compounded by her lifelong phobia of rats. She’s concerned that unless action is taken, they will soon burrow a hole through the wall and into her flat.
“Imagine being living with your worst phobia, being woken up by it… It’s affecting my health – it’s affecting me physically, mentally.
“I’m terrified that they’ll come in because realistically, they can… That’s my biggest fear.”
Toby Bacon, a pest controller for Essex-based Town and Country Pests, described the footage as “one of the worst cases” he’d ever seen, and warned that immediate action was required to prevent serious consequences.
“It’s just wildly out of control,” Mr Bacon said. “There’s a huge risk to human health with that many rats in that kind of area and in that space.
Shocking footage shared with LBC shows rodents scurrying around.
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LBC
“Weil’s disease, which is passed through rodent urine and can spread to humans via cuts or [if] ingested through your mouth or through your nose… if contracted and not dealt with immediately after showing symptoms, could kill you.
“This is also a fire risk, [with rats] chewing through pipes. There could be a potential flood or water damage to various properties.
“It’s a huge issue for this building.”
Renters at Crystal Court are not the only ones who have experienced issues with Notting Hill Genesis.
Earlier this year, the housing association was forced to apologise after residents in Wembley were told their rent and service charges would increase by up to 50% – something it says was done “in error”.
What’s more, during a review conducted in November last year, the social housing regulator said Notting Hill Genesis had failed to comply with its sector-wide governance and consumer standards.
It has since agreed a compliance action plan to address the issues raised.
Several people have had issues with Notting Hill Genesis.
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LBC
In response to LBC’s report about rats at Crystal Court, a spokesperson for Notting Hill Genesis said: “We are aware of ongoing pest issues at Crystal Court and apologise for the impact of this on our residents whilst we have been working to resolve matters.
“Household waste left in communal areas has now been cleared and we have carried out extensive pest control and prevention work, both within Crystal Court and the neighbouring commercial units.
“Further works to the bin store room are underway and we have requested that residents take additional care when disposing of waste to prevent these issues from reoccurring.”
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