Tenant says she is ‘extremely poorly’ due to mould in home
IT HAS AFFECTED FURNITURE AND BEDDING
A WOMAN in social housing says she has become “extremely poorly” because of mould on her furniture and mattress.
Allison Carnagie, 57, has lived in her bungalow, owned by East Midlands Homes, in Long Eaton for 17 months.
She says the mould problem started within months of her moving, with damp coming through the walls.
She claims this is due to the property being “badly maintained” and that mould has now appeared in every room.
Ms Carnagie says her asthma has worsened as a result, leaving her “extremely poorly”.
“I have spent a lot of time over the past three months at the Royal Derby Hospital A&E and I’m now being referred to a lung specialist due to my poor living conditions of damp and mould, which have made my breathing problems worse.
“It’s shocking because every piece of furniture that touches the ground was touched by mould. My bed has a wooden frame and mould has gone up the legs and also on a set of drawers. My mattress is also mouldy.”
Despite not being against a wall, the back of Ms Carnagie’s sofa was also covered in mould. She added that she has “rising damp” in the walls along the front of her property and through her floors.
She said: “They [EMH] sent a company out to clean the furniture of the mould but this is like sticking a plaster on a big wound because it’s going to come back. They have to address the main issue which is probably the fact that the house was built a very long time ago without any insulation and no damp proof membrane on the floor.”
Ms Carnagie says the issue has badly affected her wellbeing. She has also just finished an eightweek mental health NHS course. She previously worked as airline staff but had to retire after contracting meningitis four years ago, making social housing her only option.
Ian Davies, group director of Property at EMH, said: “We have a zero tolerance approach to damp and mould and have a dedicated team of operatives on hand to help resolve any reported issues.
“Ms Carnagie first reported a damp and mould concern to us last year and we attended within six calendar days.
“We have had specialist contractors visit on several occasions, including being on site this week for further treatment.
“We are surveying the floor and will soon – with the customer’s permission – remove small sections in a number of rooms to see if this identifies the root cause of the issue.
“In our quest to identify why damp is occurring, we also asked a specialist water contractor to test for any underground leaks. This hasn’t identified an issue, but we are replacing pipes as a precaution and additional reassurance for the resident that we are doing all we can to look at improving the issue in her home.
“Ms Carnagie has made a request for compensation, which we are reviewing as part of her formal complaint. We actively encourage customers to report damp and mould and have a dedicated damp and mould contact for them to do so.
“Damp and mould can be reported to us on our website via myhomeonline, by emailing Dampandmould@emh.co.uk or by calling 0300 123 6000.”