Damp problem fires up Taynuilt tenant
MOULDY homes and high electricity bills in 14 houses in Taynuilt are causing ‘concern’ to the chief executive of West Highland Housing Association (WHHA).
One woman, Lynne Murdoch, who lives at Aldersyde in the village, has been asking her neighbours what their homes are like and giving the information to the social housing provider in a bid to get something done.
Ms Murdoch, who has lived in the village for eight years, said that 14 of her neighbours’ homes had mould and damp, while every home was paying at least £ 8 a day for electricity.
Ms Murdoch said: ‘ My son’s house across the street was so bad that when WHHA came out to clean the surfaces, the man said he couldn’t remove it [the mould] and the wall needed replaced.
‘The problem has gone quite far now. People are finding it cheaper to use their own radiators to heat their homes than the system that is in place. But people who have asked to put in their own fire have not been given permission. We need an architect and a surveyor down here to find out what is wrong. We feel as if we are being dismissed by WHHA.
‘I was told I didn’t have my fan on in the bathroom. But that is not the problem. Damp is rife throughout the houses.
‘We have been complaining for ages, but we feel like nothing is getting done.’
Lesley McInnes, chief executive of WHHA, said she was aware of the problem.
She said: ‘ We have been considering the problems that tenants in Aldersyde have been having.
‘We are concerned about the level of damp in some of the homes.
‘ We have had staff out to look at the problems in individual homes and we are working with a surveyor and other professionals to consider the best way forward.
‘We also understand the concerns about the heating costs and will be speaking to residents about the problem.’