An Islington pensioner who claims he is forced to pump out sewage water from his flat “daily” is now facing a court battle after being served a ‘no fault’ eviction notice.
By Josef Steen, Local Democracy Reporter
An Islington pensioner who claims he is forced to pump out sewage water from his flat “daily” is now facing a court battle after being served a ‘no fault’ eviction notice.
William ‘Bill’ Mitton, 66, says he has been frequently cleaning “overflowing” soiled water as a result of a leaking pipe beneath the panels in his rental flat in Islington. Bill told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) he was regularly feeling unwell and fearful for his long-term health as a result of prolonged exposure to the sewage. He claimed the leak was also causing damp and electrical faults.
Bill claimed the freeholder of the building, Mr Juzar Jeevanjee, was informed the pipe needed fixing “long ago” by his previous landlords – two joint leaseholders – who he said had put pressure on the freeholder to fix the drains.
However Mr Jeevanjee claims Bill has been obstructive and verbally abusive in his efforts to address the problem, which Bill denies.
Bill, meanwhile, says it has been a “battle” to get the building owner to act, and amid the ongoing disrepair he appealed to Islington Council’s Environmental Health team to enforce the repairs.
“It’s outrageous, and very stressful. This is causing issues with both my mental and physical health,” he said.
Specialist contractors surveyed the drains in February 2025 and reportedly found the system in very poor condition. In September 2025 Mr Jeevanjee became Bill’s direct landlord as well as the building’s landlord after the leaseholders for his flat surrendered it to Mr Jeevanjee.
Soon after, he served Bill with a Section 21 notice, also known as a ‘no-fault’ eviction which are due to become illegal from May 2026. The landlord, who claims this is to allow him to carry out complex repairs and refurbishment after pipework was done to address the drain issue last week, has commenced court proceedings to take possession of the property and force him out.
Bill said: “He’s doing everything in his power to evict me as soon as possible for no reason. Even if he wins in court, he’ll have to send the bailiffs to get me out.”
A retired builder, Bill has accused his landlord of repeatedly “cutting corners” with repairs and maintenance. He has been withholding part of his rent due to the “uninhabitable” conditions.
On October 8, the day after the landlord gave Bill the eviction notice, Islington Council instructed Mr Jeevanjee to swiftly solve the drain problem as the pipe was “in such a condition as to be prejudicial to health or a nuisance”, according to a notice served to him.
In an email seen by the LDRS, a council officer tells Bill that if the landlord fails to begin work within a “reasonable timescale”, the council has the power to prosecute Mr Jeevanjee in the magistrates’ court. This carries a maximum potential fine of £2,500 if the prosecution is successful.
Mr Jeevanjee told the LDRS he had worked “continuously” to solve the water ingress problem and accused Bill of obstructing works by preventing contractors’ access and “involving himself in matters beyond his remit”.
Mr Jeevanjee also alleged that his tenant had used “abusive and aggressive” language towards him in the presence of council officers. Bill “categorically” denied this.
The landlord added that the sewage issue was an anomaly in his decades-long career managing properties, and it was “not one of neglect or indifference”. He argued that the length of time taken to fix the drains had also been down to specialist contractors’ delays.
“[This] is a technically complex matter arising from historic unauthorised works, compounded by repeated obstruction, abusive conduct, and efforts to derail or discredit legitimate remedial action,” Mr Jeevanjee claimed to the LDRS.
He added that since becoming a landlord in 1998, he had “consistently maintained professional, cooperative, and harmonious relationships” with the hundreds of tenants he’d had over the years, responding promptly to issues and communicating “clearly and honestly”.
The landlord confirmed that contractors had surveyed the drains in February 2025, and that pipework had eventually been carried out last week, in January 2026.
Turning to his tenant’s rent arrears based on Bill partially withholding payment, he said: “William feels entitled to the 25% discount for having to switch the pump on/off every few days to deal with the water ingress in the rear section of the flat behind the panelling.”
The landlord said he had moved to evict Bill so he could carry out “extensive” structural refurbishment that could not be done while he was living there.
Bill denied that he had obstructed works, saying: “I have repeatedly allowed access and offered access on reasonable notice with agreed appointments and a clear scope of work.
“Where visits didn’t happen, there have been cancellations, no-shows, and attempts to attend without proper notice or without clarity on what was being done and by whom,” he said.
