Wellington residents call for end to damp homes

6:30am Friday 15th February 2013 in Somerset Photograph of the Author By Michael Marsh

Frustrated residents on Howard Road and Penny Close. Frustrated residents on Howard Road and Penny Close.

IRATE tenants on a Wellington estate have pulled together in a bid to get their landlord to sort out a widespread mould problem.

Residents in Howard Road and Penny Close claim their homes, which are owned by property management company Places for People, are being left to rot.

Paul Brooks, who lives with his family in Howard Road, said: “It’s terrible – the mould is disgusting and it’s getting worse.

“This is a widespread problem with a lot of houses on the estate, not just mine. How can it be that it is everyone’s home suffering from damp?

“The landlord says the problems are our fault because we don’t have adequate heating and that we don’t open our windows enough.

"We use the extractor fan in the kitchen when cooking or washing; we open the kitchen window and, weather permitting, we have the external door open.

“There’s only a small radiator in the kitchen and in the winter it gets very cold.”

Kelly and Chris Batstone are squeezed into their four-bedroom house with seven children, two cats and a dog.

They say their house has mould on the walls and ceilings and around window frames, and claim the damp is to blame for some of their children’s breathing problems.

A spokesman for Places for People, which is applying to build more houses on the estate, said:

“Following concerns raised by a small number of tenants, we instructed an independent surveyor to carry out inspections.

“The surveyor’s report concluded the main cause of damp and mould was a lack of ventilation and adequate heating, and not the buildings themselves.

"As a result, we carried out a number of works including upgrading radiators and fitting new extractor fans.”

Comments(34)

MrFlumpy says...
1:21pm Fri 15 Feb 13

Damp in any home is not nice, albeit fairly new ones, so I hope they get it sorted out.

However, to report as the above story does that a couple with 7 children have been "squeezed" into a 4 bedded house is a bit rich, especially as this couple will have decided themselves to have 7 children. I see in the story a housing association is involved, so no doubt it's a little dig at the social housing they have been provided with.

If they want a bigger house, perhaps they should save up and buy a property that better suits them, and their choice to have 7 children.

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Mark1970 says...
2:04pm Fri 15 Feb 13

They should count themselves lucky that they have social housing.

I am private landlord and have damp everywhere. I have been to Shelter and they sent me to Taunton Homeless Association (who were a fat lot of good).

I filled in a disrepair form with the council to be told that the landlord has six months to do any work needed, for my place this would be to actually put heating in.

I have tried to move out, but I have no money, the Polish and other immigrants have taken up most of the rooms and flats, bedsits and other accommodation.

I have been in contact with local councilors, Jeremy Brown and even had a letter back from the House of Commons even as a Veteran I cannot get extra help.

Walls here are starting to crack, and the wallpaper on the landing is wet as hell and one scrape it would come off.

If you lot are going to moan, come and see the private sector and then have a moan.

If I got the council involved and he had to put heating in, then this would increase my rent to a level that I could never afford, I struggle now on what I have, cannot afford heating and can hardly afford food.

Some people have it far too easy.

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Taunton Reader says...
5:50pm Fri 15 Feb 13

Not only are we (taxpayers) expected to foot the bill to house a large family like this, it looks like they want us to decorate their homes too! The ventilation in my house is poor and I have a similar issue in my bathroom, bedroom and front porch. I don't have the luxury of handouts, so guess what....? I simply use a bit of elbow grease and cleaning fluid to get rid of the worst of the mould, followed by a lick of paint and hey presto, it's gone! It's much less demeaning than posing for these types of photographs, which is tantamount to begging... What's next, pointing at weeds in the garden or over grown lawns?

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nicbrit says...
6:16pm Fri 15 Feb 13

i moved into these houses when they were first built and we had damp in them then and was told the same thing.So something needs to be done to correct this

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jojo1072 says...
6:54pm Fri 15 Feb 13

I live in one of these houses. I work and pay my rent (not getting handouts).
Just want the mould sorted out so i CAN decorate not have it decorated for me. It has got to the point where i can't clean it off and if i paint over it it just comes back. I have it in every room upstairs and window frames are black and mouldy too.

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kellybats says...
8:10pm Fri 15 Feb 13

i am the one with seven children i work thank you very much! when you work and have seven children you can comment on my life with my children! your not the one trying to live with a three year old who has only not been ill for two weeks of his whole life! you are not the one who has a one year old with a lung infection in and out of hospital! your not the one with illnesses cos of the house! i am grateful for having a roof over my head and am not doing this for a bigger house but to sort this house out! this is my home and i have to live in it with YES MY SEVEN KIDS I CHOSE TO HAVE!!! dont slat me for the kids i have i deal with my kids i keep my house, i pay my rent and council tax!

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kellybats says...
8:17pm Fri 15 Feb 13

i decorate my house every six months how often do you decorate yours? how often do you buy curtains and blinds? i buy it every couple of months cos of the mould! i dont expect no-one to decorate my house for me! i bought a dehumidifier to help the problem! i treat the mould every couple of months and it comes back to that of the pic.
Think of money thats all people do these days not the real point of whats going on! kids illnesses!!!

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jojo1072 says...
8:34pm Fri 15 Feb 13

'Taunton Reader' i think you should apologize for your comment. It is so wrong to assume!

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shorty94 says...
10:37pm Fri 15 Feb 13

For those of u who seem to be small minded and rather ignorant this is supposed to be 'affordable housing' not 'social housing'. The majority of people living on this estate actually go out to work thus pay tax and NI on their wages and do not get handouts as u stated. So therefore when we are told to put the heating on and open ur windows this then stops being 'affordable housing' it becomes bloody expensive!!!! On top of that we have to decorate our houses OUT OF OUR HARD EARNED CASH from the work that we do every six months in order to try and keep our houses looking nice after we have used elbow grease every couple of months to remove the mould that persistently grows back its about time the problem was sorted. I work hard for what I have and get fed up having to replace everything every few months because of the problems we have in these houses. I also take exception to those who still live in the past thinking people who live on council estates have hand outs get with the times most work and it's 'affordable housing' made expensive because the people who are supposed to look after the buildings don't bother to do it properly.

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shorty94 says...
10:42pm Fri 15 Feb 13

jojo1072 wrote:
'Taunton Reader' i think you should apologize for your comment. It is so wrong to assume!
I agree jojo1072 they should apologize for making judgements on something they know nothing about and taring us with a brush that is many years out of date!!!!!

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prickles says...
2:51pm Sat 16 Feb 13

There are people in their own homes who have damp problems but nobody helps them . Private renting can have the same problem. People seem to think cause they are in council/social housing then the problem should be solved at a click of the fingers. There are loads of people out there who would be grateful for a house these people should count themselves lucky they have been given a house.

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jojo1072 says...
7:25pm Sat 16 Feb 13

We have had this problem for years!

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devonshiredumpling says...
7:30pm Sat 16 Feb 13

whoever has reponsability for the houses damp and mould are a health issue and isn't it about time social housing lost the stigma at the end of the day these houses arepeoples homes

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Mi_Coc says...
8:41am Sun 17 Feb 13

prickles wrote:
There are people in their own homes who have damp problems but nobody helps them . Private renting can have the same problem. People seem to think cause they are in council/social housing then the problem should be solved at a click of the fingers. There are loads of people out there who would be grateful for a house these people should count themselves lucky they have been given a house.
They dont know how lucky they are! They pay probably less that 500 a month for that house. If she hit the private market she could have damp and pay up to £400 to be vetted and referenced. The average cost of a 3 bed these days is £740 so a 4 bed even in wellington is £800.

There people who cant afford to private rents and cant get into social housing. So evict her so they can rent privately something more their standard. The reason social housing is cheap and affordable is they dont have the money to spend fixing all the problems and making them into top notch houses. I dont understand why you would have 7 kids if you cant afford your own home?!?! Having a family in this country cost a fortune but tax credits and child benefit and tax credits must be close to a grand a month!

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Mark1970 says...
10:42am Sun 17 Feb 13

The bottom line is that no person should have damp or mould in their home. Social or private rented.

The people who live in these properties are lucky to say the least.

My landlord is a great old bloke, but he is stuck in his ways. If I asked him for help then he would give it, but he does really scare me.

I am trapped in circumstances that I cannot get out of, I either raise the issue of NO heating, damp, mould and coldness and have something done, or I do and run the risk of having my rent increased to a level that I cannot afford.

These people should not have mould but if I had my picture in the paper naming and shaming my landlord, then I would be out on my ear, or with a rent increase.

I live in a nice flat but I moved in July the first Winter that I was here, we had a major snow fall and I never suffered so much damp, coldness in my life. Standing outside was actually warmer than staying indoors.

I live in clothing 24/7 if I do not have to go out then I will wear the same clothes for days on end so I do not have to suffer more cold from being naked. Yes a shower is excellent and warming but costs money.

This winter even though was mild compared to normal, but two microwave ovens blew up due to trying to save energy and not being plugged in, but when I plugged them in, then either the plugs were cold or dampness got into the microwave and blew the insides.

I pay £476 a month just for the pleasure of being freezing cold, having microwaves looking like the rocky horror show when you turn them on.

I have asked and BEGGED for help to get out. I never beg, but hey you never know I might end up having to ask for 60p to make a phone call before I get this help, but I will not be smelling of beer such as the homeless people in Taunton do.

People of Welly stop moaning as you have it easy, trust me.

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kellybats says...
12:25pm Sun 17 Feb 13

You have no idea what it is to nearly lose a child because of your home! I do! The issue is damp and mould not how many kids I have! Oh my she has seven kids oh and we work so yes we can do ehat we like so please stop commenting on the amount of kids we have that's our choice! The damp and mould have been in these houses since they were built! It's not a life style issue at all. Everyone on the estate has them not just me!

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kellybats says...
12:25pm Sun 17 Feb 13

You have no idea what it is to nearly lose a child because of your home! I do! The issue is damp and mould not how many kids I have! Oh my she has seven kids oh and we work so yes we can do ehat we like so please stop commenting on the amount of kids we have that's our choice! The damp and mould have been in these houses since they were built! It's not a life style issue at all. Everyone on the estate has them not just me!

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prickles says...
1:30pm Sun 17 Feb 13

Why don't u rent a private house then so your children are living in better conditions. If you can't afford the rent u can always get housing benefit. Least your children's health wouldn't suffer.

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kellybats says...
1:50pm Sun 17 Feb 13

If life was as clear cut as that we would all be in private rent. I just want to sort things out for my children. It's not about the amount of children we have or the amount of money we have or don't have as a fact its about the children's health. Sorting this house or moving. Yes u see in the paper people with loads of kids not working smoking drinking and not working well we are opposite to all that, we don't go out. Don't drink. We dont have designer everything we just do the best for our kids. This is about mouldy and damp conditions and sorting it out I wasn't the only one on this article. We named and shamed as we have lived years like this nearly lost my baby because of lung infections because of the conditions. If u have a nice affordable/ socialable house with no issues then your a lucky one! Think twice before writting about oh she has seven kids, oh and my tax credits etc that's nothing to do with this issue. How would u like to waste money on house hold items every couple of months and.decorate all the time to try and keep it away I would much rather going on a holiday that we have not been on one in eight years!

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shorty94 says...
2:59pm Sun 17 Feb 13

I think a lot of readers seem to have lost the focus of the complaint which is damp and mold being an ongoing problem which has been going on for years. People having a dig at a family with 7 kids is not on. It shouldn't matter how many children they have or whether they pay their way or not. The fact is we have damp and mold. Its the landlords responsibility to solve the problem not mask it and that is what we are fed up with not how many kids people have. Some people only have one or two kids so whats their excuse then want to slate them????? didn't think so we pay our way work hard and these are our homes which we want to look nice which it doesn't when we have unwanted decorations that we didn't ask for and shouldn't have to put up with.

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prickles says...
4:37pm Sun 17 Feb 13

People in private rent have problems with damp and landlords do nothing about it. I have a friend who private rents a flat and has two young children. Both are now suffering from asthma and croup and are regularly in hospital with breathing problems. Her landlord won't do anything about the damp even though she has contacted the council and her landlord has been told to sort it out but she won't. So it seems its not just council tennants that are suffering .

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kellybats says...
5:10pm Sun 17 Feb 13

We are housing association. No one should have to live with damp or mould and housing standards within the council are very good!

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kickslikeamule says...
7:10pm Sun 17 Feb 13

You should all think yourselves lucky that you have landlords that will foot the bill for this! When you own your own house you are responsible for its upkeep. Too many people just whinge too much.

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Mark1970 says...
8:44pm Sun 17 Feb 13

@prickles - If she has informed the council and filled out a disrepair form TDC was very quick for someone to phone and offer to come out to me.

A landlord would be contacted by the council and given six months to sort out any problems.

If these problems are not sorted then MAYBE housing banding may go up.

@kickslikeamule

I would sooner own my own home than have a private landlord, or even social housing.

You made the choice to purchase your home, so that was your choice.

Some people do not have the option or the funds to be able to do as such.

The problem lays with the builders of newly built properties. They build and then forget when really after completion they should test all of the radiators themselves and dry out properties.

Once damp is in, then very hard to get rid of.

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Wellyboy says...
11:29am Mon 18 Feb 13

I have previously lived in a problems with damp and the problems steems from no ventalation due to over crowding.
I guess with the lady with the seven children children are sharing rooms so a lot of mositure is probably being built up.

I know its a pain in the butt but there are products out there ( we used mold and mildue Remover) that can remove the mould (even if its temporary).
This certinly helped get rid of a long standing cough and made it disapear

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Mark1970 says...
11:59am Mon 18 Feb 13

Just too add even though this is totally unrelated to a degree but I have just signed up for Home Finder Wiltshire after enquiring about a property that I bidded on.

ALREADY they have got are you Polish, Bulgarian, Romanian on the application form.

Polish I would understand, but to have Bulgarian or Romanian a year before they are supposed to be here is a bit worrying.

Do not worry about a bit of damp and mould. Worry more so about the future of your children. English people will soon have no say in this Country of ours.

UKIP will be how I vote.

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kellybats says...
12:53pm Mon 18 Feb 13

We have treated it time and time again and that's the end result every time.

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nicbrit says...
5:37pm Mon 18 Feb 13

as i said the mold is a problem and has been since they were new my son suffered with chronic bronchitis and asthma because of it he is now 23 and has lung damage due to the damp living conditions of those houses and i worked paid my rent and council tax but i sure in the hell didn't sign up for my son to have permanent lung damage

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kellybats says...
7:09pm Mon 18 Feb 13

Hi I'm sorry to hear about your son its looking like my son is going down the same path as your son :( they don't believe its their house that's the problem many people who use to live in these houses say the same thing but no one Is willing to write a written statement to the affects that u just have!

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srawberry73 says...
11:04pm Mon 18 Feb 13

I have lived in the above mentioned street for the past 15 years and i have never had any problems at all with damp or mould, i think it probably has to do with lifestyle, I never dry washing inside, i open my windows every morning when we get up, and leave the window a jar when using the shower. Condensation that is caused by all the above has to go somewhere!! It is fair to say that places for people arent all that good when dealing with repairs but we all ave to take some responsibility for our homes.

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frags27 says...
2:10pm Tue 19 Feb 13

I don't think the issue is whether you rent have affordable housing, or own your own house you can get mould anywhere. It has nothing to do with how many kids you have, although I have to admit if I have just one child and it was moudly I would like to sort the mould before having any further ones or even better sort the mould before having kids. The issue is more to do with how you deal with the problem, and you should try doing everything and I mean everything.

I had no heating in my home until the last 4 years spent 12 years without, and found having two dehumidifiers helped one upstairs and downstairs. In the meantime I saved up a good few thousand pounds to install central heating and a boiler (I own my house) and did without other things to save the money it can be done. Nobody helped me in anyway I had to help myself.

There are many things you can do yourself. Do not put washing indoors to dry if you have to re-decorate then so be it you cannot have it all ways. Here is a link to a good website which shows further some things you could do, I would suggest you do all of these in the meantime if you don't like something or the conditions only YOU can change it. Take some ownership and if nobody listens take matters further, move if necessary anything.

http://www.scotland.
gov.uk/Publications/
2005/05/10103020/302
17

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Mi_Coc says...
8:11pm Tue 19 Feb 13

I had the same problem before I decided rent my 1980s house out, thank god my tenants are sensible and don't go crying to the local rag or moan at me.

Used get it around the windows every and I would clean them with bleach regularly. Its not fun but became part of my regular cleaning routine. I did want to spend money upgrading the heating or buying new windows. You need to air the rooms in the morning to get rid of the excess moisture (open the windows). As said it helps not to tumble dry or have lots of clothes drying. I have 3 kids none have lung damage.

To Kelly you need to get some spray bleach and clean them every couple of weeks. Also give your body a break and get some contraception 7 kids at your age is ridiculous (You look late 30s but I think your in your 20s). My partner and I both work hard with good jobs and cant afford to have more and I have 3 partly because I cant afford a 4 or 5 bed home so I don't just just keep having kids and expecting the social to get a me bigger house. This country doesnt owe you your dream house you have to earn it.

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kellybats says...
8:48pm Tue 19 Feb 13

We have treated the mould decorate every couple of month and treat it at the same time. We have a dehumidifier going all the time, open windows, what more can a person do its not like we arent trying to stop it! We both work too thank you and my age is no concern of yours and neither my form of contraception ive not asked for a bigger house you know it all. I've asked for the damp and mould issue to be sorted out if you can add a decent comment then don't comment this is about everyone on my estate if you don't want four kids then that's your choice i chose to have seven and I pay for seven!

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FreeSpeech? says...
11:14pm Tue 19 Feb 13

We had a bad problem with mould around the ceilings next to the exterior wall and had the insulation upgraded, but still got the mould and was told by Eaga it was bad roof ventilation which in my opinion was rubbish so up in the loft I went and found that the insulation installed did not reach out far enough into the eaves. Black mould is very bad for your health and if I was you I would take a little look in the loft as if the same problem as I had you can buy some rolls of insulation cut it up into sections a push into the edges, also if you get wet patches with water droplets form where the mould is on cold days it is definitely what we experienced as your getting cold spots.

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