Woman Lay Dead In Flat For Over Two Years But Landlord Kept Collecting Rent

A landlord in the United Kingdom cut off gas and kept taking rent from a tenant as she lay dead in the London house for over two years. The 58-year-old Sheila Seleoane had to be identified by dental records after her skeletal remains were found on the sofa in the living room of her flat in Peckham in February. While the reports said that the woman suffered from Crohn's disease and bowel inflammation, the post-mortem report could not ascertain the exact cause of her death since her body had severely decomposed.

Neighbours had spent months pleading for a welfare check following a ‘foul’ smell emitting from the home. The inquest was told there had been numerous missed opportunities by both her landlord and the police. Housing association Peabody has apologised for what happened.

Southwark Coroners Court was told that Seleoane, a former medical secretary last paid her rent in August 2019. When she fell behind in payments for the coming months, an application was submitted for the rent to come out of her benefits. She was last seen alive when she visited a doctor in August 2019.

The landlord Peabody cut off her gas supply in June 2020, three months after applying for universal credit to cover her rent. There were also two police visits to the apartment within a week in October 2020, where officers were unable to make contact with the resident.

However, a miscommunication by a Met Police controller mistakenly concluded that Seleoane had been seen alive and well - and this was passed on to Peabody.

"Any death is sad. To lie undetected for in all likelihood over two years, is difficult to fathom in 2022," said coroner Julian Morris, as he concluded the inquest.

Ashling Fox, deputy chief executive officer for Peabody, admitted they could have done more to check on Seleoane's wellbeing.

She said: "There were opportunities, with hindsight, where dots could have been joined up more quickly at the time. In hindsight, it was clear that there had been a sudden change in behaviour. In this case, we recognise that more could have been done."

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