Families’ health suffers in poor living conditions
INSPECTORS FIND DAMP, MOULD AND FIRE SAFETY ISSUES IN HOMES BASED ON COMPLAINTS
FAMILIES’ health has been compromised by damp, mould and electrical hazards in homes on a series of Burton streets. Inspectors have been visiting houses in 11 streets in the town identified by housing bosses based on tenants’ complaints about poor living conditions.
And since 2017, they have found “hazards around fire safety, damp and mould, and electrical issues” in 71 per cent of the homes inspected. They are all in the eastern area of the Anglesey Ward.
The streets where homes have been inspected are All Saints Croft, Bailey Street, Blackpool Street, Branston Road, Broadway Street, King Street, Queen Street, Rose Cottage Gardens, Trent Street, Watson Street and Wood Street.
The inspections are part of East Staffordshire Borough Council’s selective licensing scheme. It forces any landlord wishing to rent out a home in the identified streets to buy a special licence.
They are contracted to meet conditions to “ensure good management of private rented properties”. They include up-to-date gas safety certificates, fitted smoke detectors on each floor, a written tenancy agreement for each tenant and a carbon monoxide alarm installed in any room where it is necessary. Councillor Bernard Peters, cabinet member for communities and housing standards, said: “Despite a difficult couple of years due to the Covid pandemic, the council has worked closely with landlords and tenants across Anglesey to ensure living conditions in privately rented properties are at a satisfactory level.
“With the extension of the selective licensing scheme in September 2022, the council continues to build upon its relationship with local landlords and tenants and is committed to assessing living conditions across East Staffordshire.”