WE LAUNCH MAJOR CAMPAIGN Our homes TO IMPROVE RENTED HOUSING are killing us
»»Mould misery »»Illness costs as 1.5million are the NHS £1.4bn living in squalor in treatments »»We demand change to give tenants hope
EXCLUSIVE
A HELLISH world in which lives are put at risk because of mouldy and crumbling homes is exposed by the Sunday Mirror today.
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Some 1.5 million rentals fall below government standards. Treating illness linked to the conditions costs the NHS £1.4billion a year.
We found walls black with mould and ceilings that have collapsed.
A number of residents have been rushed to hospital with lung problems caused by the damp. One woman was warned by her doctor that her mouldy flat could kill her.
Gaping holes in regulations mean stretched social housing providers and rogue landlords go unchallenged. Until now.
Today, the Mirror launches a Safe as Houses campaign – backed by experts – to end the squalor. We want: ■ Complaints systems overhauled so tenants are not left in limbo for years. ■ A ban on so-called “no fault” evictions, which allow private landlords to make tenants homeless if they complain about living conditions.
■ A compulsory national register to show that properties are safe.
Among the most harrowing stories we came across was that of cystic fibrosis sufferer Lisa Grainger, 31.
She needs an urgent double lung transplant and first complained of mould in her Birmingham council flat in September 2019. By then she had been hospitalised six times in six months with chest infections.
Lisa – backed by letters from her doctors – has resorted to sleeping in her parents’ spare room because she is so anxious about her flat.
The former receptionist, now too sick to work, said: “I was really worried when the doctors wrote those letters as my health is obviously not great anyway.
“It’s gone past the point where I’d accept an apology. It’s not going to get back the time spent in hospital.”
Sharing some of the medics’ letters with us, Lisa revealed how Dr Richard Thompson, a consultant in the heart and lung transplant unit at Birmingham University Hospitals, contacted her.
He wrote: “I was very unsettled to hear your existing flat is damp and mouldy. This is completely unacceptable given your complex medical regime and recent difficulties. This
If my Lisa isn’t a priority for a new home, then who is? It has been horrendous
MUM MARTINE ON STRESS OF BATTLING TO GET A NEW FLAT
could pose a major threat to your health. I believe it is unsafe for you to return there.”
The council responded in October 2019 to say Lisa didn’t meet the medical criteria for a new property. In a second letter, Dr Thompson wrote: “Continued exposure to mould may hasten your death. I hope this is clear enough for the
relevant authorities.” Lisa, who is on housing benefit, was reassessed and added to a lengthy waiting list.
The council now says it has a new property for her – but it could be months before it is ready.
Lisa added: “I will believe they have a new flat for me when I see it.”
Her mum Martine, 57, who gave up her charity job to care for Lisa, said: “It’s maddening. If Lisa isn’t a priority for a new home, who is? It’s been
horrendous. I think I’ve got PTSD. The doctor put me on antidepressants because of the stress.”
Sadly, Lisa’s case is far from unique. New government figures reveal 13% of social housing – 520,000 abodes – don’t meet its decent homes standard.
That is defined as being in a reasonable state of repair, with reasonably modern services and providing a reasonable degree of thermal comfort.
A further 21% of privately rented
homes – 924,000 – are below par too. The numbers living in nightmare conditions will be far higher as large families are often crammed in.
Many providers are grappling with a huge repair backlog due to Covid.
But the impact on tenants’ physical and mental health while they wait for essential work is often catastrophic.
Adam Tinson, senior analyst at the Health Foundation, said: “Damp and mould are associated with a range of
respiratory and cardiovascular conditions such as asthma and wheezing.
“The lack of control over your environment is often what induces worse mental health and anxiety.”
Polly Neate, chief executive of homeless charity Shelter, said: “Our homes should be a place of safety and security, but the horror stories we hear from renters stuck in nightmare conditions are endless. Enough is enough, renters are getting a rotten deal and they deserve better.
“It’s good to see the Sunday Mirror joining the fight. We need every political party driving forward the new renters’ reform bill and legislation to regulate social housing.”
Shadow housing minister Matthew
Pennycook said: “Too many tenants are forced to live in insecure, poor quality, unaffordable accommodation, so Labour welcomes this campaign.
“Tenants cannot wait any longer for a better deal. The Government must urgently bring forward legislation to improve conditions and to strengthen the rights and security afforded to private renters.”
A Department for Levelling
Up, Housing and Communities spokesman said: “These conditions are unacceptable and that is why we are bringing in stronger regulation to make sure everyone has a safe and decent place to live – including banning ‘no fault’ evictions.
“We are driving up standards in social housing and will introduce new powers for the regulator to act robustly when things go wrong.”
Birmingham City Council
apologised to Lisa for “distress” caused by her flat.
A spokesman said: “We are aware she needs 24-hour care and a specialist property close to her family.
“We have been in regular discussion and are adapting a new flat, which the tenant will be moving into later this year.”