Mum-of-three battles with housing association over mould (From Sutton Guardian)
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Sutton mum-of-three battles with housing association over mould
7:30am Monday 18th October 2010 in News
Mum-of-three battles with housing association over mould
A mother-of-three has slammed her housing association after revolting mould caused by rising damp spread through her council-owned property.
Hannah Lawn, of Sutton Court, Sutton, has been battling with the Sutton Housing Partnership for the last 18 months to try and remove the fungus which has destroyed every room in her flat.
Miss Lawn, who has two toddlers and an 11-year-old daughter, believes the problem began more than three years ago with the previous tenants who she is still in contact with.
Since moving into the flat, the 25-year-old has tried everything to deal with the fungus which has eaten through rugs but is struggling to find an answer to the problem.
The 25-year-old said: “My partner and I are still friends with the couple who lived here before us and they suffered from the same problems. If it gets painted over it just comes back within weeks.
“It has affected every room in the flat, the kids’ room, including their dolls’ house, has mould everywhere and we have had to repaint the window sills and walls, remove the carpets and throw out ruined toys and clothes.
“It’s really unfair that I have to bring my kids up in this, I’ve lost count of the times I’ve spoken to someone at the housing association. But there always seems to be a reason why they can’t sort it out.”
When Miss Lawn contacted Sutton Housing Partnership, she was told to simply try using bleach and water - a suggestion which surprisingly failed to cure the problem.
Derek Vaughan, of SHP, said: “We have been working hard to rectify any problems with damp at the property after being contacted by Ms Lawn a few weeks ago.
“Air vents and window sills will be repaired within the next three weeks and further work may be carried out as a result of a survey recently completed by a damp specialist.”
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Comments(9)
theavengers
says...
9:12am Mon 18 Oct 10
Smudger21
says...
11:30am Mon 18 Oct 10
1) Stop breeding.
2) Get a job.
3) Buy your own place.
4) By following steps 1-3 above, you will stop placing a burden on society's tax payers and expecting someone else to sort out your problems, because lets face it, it's always someone elses fault isn't it???
$utton
says...
12:00pm Mon 18 Oct 10
Get a job and pay your rent...
I may live in a Council property but I have to leave at 6am 6 days a week to pay for my family to live in it...
Imagine the cost of ink and paper used to print this into the paper edition, Should of just handed over some more free ca$h and made her pay a property deposit...
See how long they can keep up the Rent.
adrianshort
says...
6:26pm Mon 18 Oct 10
Damp homes are a health risk, particularly for people who suffer from asthma and other breathing problems.
If your landlord doesn't take their responsibilities seriously, take it up with the Environmental Health department at the council. The Citizens Advice Bureau might also be able to help.
theavengers
says...
9:07am Tue 19 Oct 10
adrianshort
says...
10:30am Tue 19 Oct 10
If you want to subsidise your landlord's business by buying and running an expensive dehumidifier for your home that's your choice but it doesn't do you any favours in the long run as it just encourages landlords to shift more of their legal obligations onto their tenants.
Not so very long ago in this country there were slums where poor people -- working or otherwise -- lived in the most appalling squalor that was both demoralising and dangerous. The laws on decent housing we have now prevent us sliding all the way back to a time where the rich and the middle classes lived in comparative luxury while the poor -- working and non-working -- literally died on their doorsteps.
This lady isn't asking to live in a "palace". She's asking to live in a home that doesn't make her and her children ill. That's not too much to ask in 2010 but the fact that you think it is says a great deal more about you than it does about her.
TruthAboutMold
says...
12:43am Wed 20 Oct 10
d.info and http://globalindoorh
ealthnetwork.com.
Irenic
says...
6:11am Sat 23 Oct 10
If she's displeased with the service of her landlord then perhaps it's time to move on.
These flats are a good size and brilliant location for trains and Sutton center. The Council rents are really cheap, even if you don't get that paid on benefits. I wish I could have been given one of these flats when I was starting out however didn't qualify as was working etc. The damp is probably condensation. It may be the case that she's spending too much time at home watching Tv with the heating on. If you're out at work 5 days a week these minor problems will probably disappear or become in significant.
Ctaylor_311 says...
8:41am Mon 18 Oct 10
The council said there is nothing they can do. what a complete joke . I am a builder and i know why this has happened as there are no air vents in the rooms.