Inside the toxic walls: unravelling the truth behind the hidden crisis of mould and neglect within social housing
Damp and mould are common issues in many homes and buildings. Reports are continuing to rise across the UK, with the housing Ombudsman reporting a staggering 77% increase in the number of complaints regarding damp, mould, and leaks from 2020- 2021 to 2021–22.
For families living in social housing this can be harder to combat, as they have to rely on their housing landlord to resolve the problem. Not only is mould unsightly, but it can also have negative effects on our health and wellbeing.
Tracy Jeckells, from Newton Heath, Manchester, lives with her family in social housing and has been having problems with mould in her home for over 20 years.
“It first started 20 years ago, it got sorted and then it came back 8 years ago. And it’s just got worse. When they took some of the plaster off to get rid of it , it came back worse. That’s all they would ever do take the plaster off and re plaster it.”
“When I would ring and tell the landlord about the damp, they would come out and say, ‘It’s not damp’ and there was nothing they could do until it got worse, or they have even tried to blame us.”
This is a common problem for people living in social housing, they are made to feel as though they are at fault. There options to fix the problem are limited if the landlord does not deal with it and they are forced to live in these conditions.
The Housing Ombudsman conducted an investigation and published a report in 2021 to highlight the issues in the landlords response to residents and provided a 26 step process to change the issue from ‘reactive to proactive’.
The key elements in the 2021 report shown landlords can often blame residents, leaving them to feel ‘distressed’ and ‘embarrassed’ on their situation when it can be various factors as to why the mould has started.
The aim of the report was to encourage landlords to use the spotlight report “its not a lifestyle” in their inquest of mould claims, and treat every case individually without jumping to conclusions.
Jeckells continued: “All they’ve ever done to try and get rid of it is just plaster it, they would not treat the brick work which is what has the actual mould is on, so they just re-plaster over the mould.”
“Plastering was the only step I seen them do in the house to try and get rid of the mould, I would say it was a quick fix, probably to save money.”
“It came back as early as two weeks after they re-plastered it the last time and I was already back on the phone to them complaining, they would tell me to keep the heating on and remove the mould with bleach.”
Occupants living in social housing live on a low income and do not have the money or resources to do this, which is why it is important for landlords to take into consideration their individual circumstances.
“They came out three weeks later and said there was nothing they could do they would have to wait for it to get worse again”
“It is affecting mine and my families health, mainly me and my son because we have asthma and it is affecting my granddaughter who is only one years old, it causes a lot of stress and arguments in the house, mostly between me and my son because he is worried about his daughters health, we feel helpless.”
One of the most common health issues associated with damp and mould is respiratory problems. If we constantly breathe in the spores produced by mould, they can irritate our airways and cause symptoms such as wheezing, coughing, and difficulty breathing. This is especially problematic for people with pre-existing respiratory conditions, such as asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
“We have been to court over this before and won, the landlords know they didn’t act fast enough or treat the mould effectively, it is as if they don’t care about our health and it affects us mentally”
Recent studies have also shown a correlation between damp and mould and mental health issues such as depression and anxiety. The reason for this is not fully understood, but it is believed that the presence of mould in a living environment can have a negative impact on our overall wellbeing.
“Well, as soon as it has been reported they should be dealing with it straight away. Taking the plaster off and then cleaning the bricks that have mould or replace them with new bricks, and then re plaster. I seen it happen years ago in my mum and dads house, they housing re-bricked it the wall and it stopped it from coming back.”
It is crucial when dealing with damp and mould to remove the original source of moisture or there is the risk of it coming back.
I contacted Manchester Council Housing service for a response but unfortunately they did not respond.
