OUR DRY ROT HOME ORDEAL
THEY’D spent years scrimping and saving to afford their first house together, so when Andrew and Charlotte Symes finally managed to buy a two-bed terrace in Barry a couple of years ago they saw it as their chance to finally start a family.
However, their dream home recently turned into a nightmare when they decided to replace the shower in the bathroom, a move that unearthed a slow leak which had long gone undetected, causing damage to the floor beneath.
The problem, though, was far worse than they could imagine. The entire back end of the property was severely affected by dry rot, resulting in it being declared unsafe for human habitation due to the high risk of the first floor collapsing and the presence of toxic fungal spores.
As a result, the couple, who were expecting the arrival of baby girl Violet, found themselves technically homeless. They only avoided having to be put up in emergency B&B accommodation thanks to Charlotte’s sister, an NHS Covid nurse who temporarily vacated her own address so they could move in.
And, just when they thought things couldn’t get any worse, they were told by their insurance company that they would only be entitled to 10% of the £26k needed to repair the damage.
“Me and Charlotte have been together for 14 years and, after having worked long hours in our busy retail jobs, we’d finally managed to get enough cash together to put down a deposit on our dream home,” said Andrew, a 31-year-old contact centre worker.
“It was a modest traditional terrace with a little garden, but we thought it would be our perfect haven, somewhere we could finally call our own.”
But all that was about to change. “Last year, whilst doing up the bathroom, we took out the shower tray to make room for a bathtub and spotted that there’d been a slow leak which had caused the floor beneath to rot and decay,” added Andrew.
“Then, after more extensive investigations, we discovered that the whole back end of the house was extensively infected with dry rot, an issue that hadn’t been picked up by the survey we’d had done before buying it. Plus there were all these dangerous spores about from all the fungus which had developed.”
Facing repair costs of £26k, the couple looked to their insurance company for help.
“Following a long and drawn out battle with them, we were told just before Christmas that they believed the problem predated our policy being taken out and that we wouldn’t be covered,” said Andrew. “Consequently, our claim was denied and closed: instead we were offered a mere 10% of the actual amount needed.
“Shockingly, they even refused to pay any further accommodation costs. We’re appealing that ruling, as well as trying to raise the money ourselves.”
The couple also faced welcoming baby Violet into the world in a B&B until Charlotte’s sister Evie volunteered to give up her own house, the UHW key worker saving the day by taking her own threeyear-old daughter and staying with her nearby mother.
“We will be eternally grateful to her for that,” said Andrew.
“We now have no choice but to keep paying the mortgage on a place that is uninhabitable.
“All we dream of is to be back in our own house with our little girl.”
The Echo has contacted Andrew and Charlotte’s insurers for comment.