A father fears his flat could collapse onto his family after large cracks developed in the walls and around the windows.

Ali Ashrafi, of Sunray Court, Rickard Close, Hendon, says he suffers from stress and anxiety as a result of the structural problems and wants to be moved out of the property and into a safe home.

Mr Ashrafi, who lives with his partner and 20-year-old daughter, claimed the council’s housing arm, Barnet Homes, should have known about the problems when it moved them into the flat because similar issues with the property had previously been reported by the Barnet Times.

But Barnet Homes said it was not aware of any issues with the property, which is owned by housing association Notting Hill Genesis.

Mr Ashrafi said: “It’s causing my house to be freezing and wasting all my money that I spend on heating. My family complain about the temperature of the house if I turn off the heating for five minutes – and that’s because we are exposed to the air from the outside.”

Mr Ashrafi said there are cracks around the windows and privacy is now non-existent in his home, as it is not possible to close the door while using the bathroom.

“Imagine how stressful it is to not feel safe in your own home,” he added. “I can see the cracks from the outside of the building and the unsuccessful (repair) attempts, but this building should be broken down and all the residents moved before something seriously horrible happens.”

Mr Ashrafi also wants to be compensated for the repair work he carried out after moving into the flat.

In May 2016, the Barnet Times reported one of the flat’s previous occupants reported cracks “as big as craters” in the walls and warned the problems would get worse.

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But Barnet Homes said: “Barnet Homes was not aware of any problems with the property. Housing association properties that are rented have to be let in a habitable condition and meet a void standard.

“If they offered us a property to nominate to, we would assume it was ready to let and met Notting Hill Genesis’ void standard. We do not question every registered provider on whether their properties are habitable as this is a given – housing associations will only request nominees once a property has gone through all necessary voids works and is ready to let.

“At the time Mr Ashrafi was housed to Sunray Court, we were not aware that there were any issues with the properties – neither from Notting Hill Genesis Housing Association nor from Mr Ashrafi.”

A Notting Hill Genesis spokesperson said: “We are aware of the issues at the property, which are believed to be related to trees growing nearby that are under a protection order. Works were carried out in spring 2018 to try and solve the issues, but they have continued.

“The case has been reported to our structural engineers, who will be contacting the resident next week to arrange an appointment for a full investigation. Their findings and recommendations will inform the next steps.

“We apologise that these issues have not yet been resolved but we will continue our investigations to find a long-term solution.”