Terminally ill man faces living last days in mould-ridden London flat

A man with less than three months to live will probably spend his final weeks in a property plagued with damp and black mould after efforts by his family and the council to find another home failed.

- Sammy Gecsoyler

Dimitrios Triantafyllidis, 73, has been renting a one-bedroom flat with his wife in Enfield, north London, for almost 10 years. The property is owned and managed by a private landlord but rent is paid to the council. Last year, the couple reported problems with damp and mould to the landlord but the family say the issues were not addressed.

In January, Triantafyllidis was diagnosed with lung cancer. In a letter seen by the Guardian, doctors told him in September he had three months to live.

Black mould is dotted around the small flat and a black film clings to the walls. When the Guardian visited the home, the smell of damp was present in every room and was particularly strong in the bedroom.

Triantafyllidis said: "I have to keep the heater on all the time. I need to have around £500 per month to keep the heater running. I can't - I don't have money." His family say if he was moved to another property without damp and mould, he might live longer.