‘Damp’ house is putting my child’s health at risk
A MUM-OF-ONE says she is living in fear for her family’s health after claims her flat has been devastated by mould and damp for nearly 10 years.
Holly Dale, 31, has been locked in a battle with her landlord for almost a decade about the safety of her home in Wythenshawe.
She claims the mould in her three-year-old daughter’s bedroom is so bad, it has caused her to suffer chest infections and regular colds.
Holly says her long-term partner can’t even sleep in the same house as her, as the damp poses a significant risk to his asthma.
The mum says representatives from Parkway Green, owned by Wythenshawe Housing Group, have visited her flat every year since 2011. Surveyors have treated what they describe as ‘condensation’ in her property, and provided her with a fan to ventilate her home.
Holly claims she’s now been told the only way she’ll get rid of the issue for good, is to keep her heating on all day – which she says she can’t afford.
“Every year I have had to pay to redecorate my flat and buy new mattresses and wardrobes for my daughter and I.
“The amount of furniture I have got through is absolutely ridiculous.”
Holly says a surveyor from Parkway Green came to the flat in November 2019 and provided her with fans to ventilate the two back bedrooms. She thought the situation had finally improved, until her daughter came down with a nasty chest infection.
“We didn’t think anything of it at first but then the doctor asked us if there had been any issues with mould or damp in the house,” Holly said.
“Then I was putting some clothes away in my daughter’s wardrobe and I noticed the wall behind it was black.
“I pulled the wardrobe out and all of her clothes were covered in mould.”
Holly has contacted the housing trust to tell them the situation is no longer acceptable, and that she needs to move house. She says she’s been stuck on a rehousing waiting list for a number of years.
A spokesperson for Wythenshawe Community Housing Group said: “We can confirm based on test results, no damp has been identified within this property.
“We will continue to work with our customer and provide advice.”