Couple live in bedroom after mould ‘took over’
A DISABLED woman and her partner are confined to the bedroom of their council bungalow because of a problem with damp and mould in their lounge.
Zoe Shortland and Ryan Sulley moved into their home in September last year having waited 18 months to acquire a suitable stairless property because of Ms Shortland’s mobility issues.
But just weeks in they began to notice spores on their sofa and walls - and by January they said they could no longer risk using the room. But they say Nottingham City Council still haven’t taken action and the couple have no idea when it might be sorted.
Ryan said: “It’s affecting my partner’s mental health and physically and it just makes you feel depressed. We wish we never moved.
“From when we wake up until when we go to sleep we’re in the bedroom, unless we are making food, drink or need the toilet.”
The city council have been in contact with the couple in recent days to agree a date for works to start.
A burst underground pipe has been identified as the main cause of the problem, and work to fix it has started. Further works will be arranged in due course. The couple said that when they first viewed the property it had looked fine, with no evidence of mould, but that the spores had started appearing after around two weeks of them moving in.
It gradually got worse until January, they say, when it took hold and they moved into the bedroom. It came “full force”, said Ryan, “taking over everything.” At that point, the pair reported to the council, who sent a surveyor out around a month later in February, the pair said. The couple put the wait down to it being near the end of the budget year.
They claimed a device used by the surveyor recorded moisture levels at 100% in the property – the level should sit at around 15%.
The couple had moved into the bedroom hoping for a quick resolution. But, due to the size of the job, they said they were told that preparation would take a while and that work might start as late as July.
Now, they have moved all their belongings out of the lounge, including their pet bearded dragon, who also began struggling with breathing due to the mould. But Ms Shortland’s electric wheelchair remains in the room, due to them having nowhere else to store it, and they say it has now been affected and isn’t working properly due to what they believe to be down to exposure to the damp.
Also in the room was the programme card from Ms Shortland’s father’s funeral, which was ruined.
Ms Shortland said she was crying and it “broke her heart” when she realised what had happened, because “it was the original and it can’t be replaced”.
Items in a hallway cupboard were also found to be mouldy and there is no point in washing clothes, the couple say, because they still smell damp when they come out of the washing machine.
They spend as much time as possible out of the property and one of Ms Shortland’s specialists wrote a letter requesting that the pair were rehomed until the work was completed. But it hasn’t happened - and still they wait.
On May 1, a city council spokesperson said: “We’ve been in touch with Mr Sulley and Ms Shortland this week to agree a date for works to start.
“In doing so, we’ve identified a burst underground pipe that appears to be the main cause of the problem in the property. We are now on site and working to repair the underground burst.
“We’re also making arrangements to dry out affected areas of the property. Any subsequent remedial works, including redecoration, will be arranged once the affected areas have dried out.”
From when we wake up until when we go to sleep we’re in the bedroom, unless we are making food, drink or need the toilet.
Ryan Sulley