Fed-up family in plea to be moved from ‘damp’ home
A DESPERATE couple are pleading to be moved after a leak in the flat above caused a ceiling to collapse on their autistic son as he slept in his bed.
William and Gillian Hanvidge claim they have endured years of black mould and problems with damp at their ground floor flat in Walton Street, Barrhead.
Since the ceiling collapse happened, their 17-year-old son Jack has been sleeping on a mattress on the living room floor, as he is too scared to use his bedroom.
William, 57, has pleaded with Barrhead Housing Association (BHA) to move the family elsewhere.
Officials at BHA say they have offered to support the family with their housing options “several times.”
William told the Barrhead News: “We’ve had loads of dampness. You could see a stain in the ceiling and I warned them long before that it was ready to come down.
“Luckily, Jack wasn’t hurt. He got the fright of his life.”
Following the collapse, BHA stripped the ceiling to allow the timber to dry prior to carrying out repairs.
The family were moved into a hotel for two nights while dehumidifiers were used in an attempt to dry out the ceiling.
A leak in the flat above has now been fixed but William said he suspects there could be another one higher up in the tenement building.
“The room is still wet above,” he added. “They sent guys out to put the ceiling up and I said ‘no, you can’t, it’s still wet.’
“It’s a shambles.”
The family have lived in the flat for nearly five years and claim ongoing problems with mould and dampness have had an impact on their health.
William is a carer for 52-yearold Gillian, who has functional neurological disorder.
He said: “They (BHA) had to come and do my walls – one in my son’s bedroom and one in our bedroom – because they were riddled with dampness.
“All they have done, though, is put new boards in front of the old mouldy wall. They have only covered it up and not taken it back to the bare brick.
“In the bathroom, we’ve got black mould and they plastered over the top of it and painted it but that’ll come back through again.
“They have also covered up, in the living room, a main structural wall that has got rising damp. It was black and my couch is smelling. My whole house is smelling. My suite’s ruined.
“There is still dampness in my living room and it’s in another wall now. The mould is on the back wall in my living room and right around my unit.
“My wife has got asthma and I’ve got COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease). It’s the stress as well. My wife is under major stress, so am I and so is my son.”
William insists the flat is now “uninhabitable.”
“They should be decanting us,” he added. “It’s getting beyond a joke now.”
Bosses at BHA said they deal with repairs “as soon as possible.”
A spokesperson added: “We have been in regular contact with the tenants. However, getting access to the property has been a challenge.
“We completed extensive specialist works to the property in January 2024 and damp and mould issues have been resolved.
“We have been sensitive to health needs throughout, including providing hotel accommodation for the family during the works.
“We have offered several times to support the tenants with their housing options. However, this support was declined and we have not received an application.
“The repairs to the ceiling have started and will be completed this week.
“We will continue to engage with the family and support them in any way we can.”