Woman lay dead in flat for 2 years but landlord kept taking rent
Paula Luckhoff | Sheila Seleoane’s remains were discovered in her London apartment more than two years after she died.
A UK housing association has issued an apology after it was discovered one of its tenants had been dead in her Peckham apartment in London for two and a half years.
Sheila Seleoane, whose age has been reported variously as 58 and 61, was found dead after neighbours had repeatedly reported disturbing signs of a problem since 2019.
Tenants told the association about a foul smell and the presence of maggots.
A report Peabody commissioned found that it “didn’t join the dots” and realise something was wrong after 89 attempted contacts with Seleoane.
While we followed processes… our teams operated independently of each other… When taking action in this case, we didn’t ask the most fundamental question – is Sheila ok? Peabody – UK housing organisation
Seleoanae was reportedly born in London to a woman who had emigrated from South Africa, and worked as a medical secretary.
Her body was found in February by police officers who forced entry after residents heard her balcony door swinging open following Storm Eunice, reports the BBC.
