Southern Housing tenants in damp and mould 'hell'

Residents of one of the UK's biggest housing associations have compared their homes to "hell".

Three mothers - all from Sussex - have accused Southern Housing (SH) of failing to make adequate and timely repairs.

They say this has led to damp and mould causing both them and their children "life-changing" physical and mental health problems.

SH said it took damp and mould reports "extremely seriously" and worked alongside residents where cases are present.

The housing association told the BBC it had invested £1.4m to create a "dedicated, specialist" team in April 2024 to deal with damp and mould issues.

The women came forward following a BBC investigation that found vulnerable SH tenants in South East England were living in dangerous, dirty conditions - some without basic amenities, such as a shower or secure front door.

SH said it had 80,000 homes across Sussex, Surrey and Kent, as well as London, the Isle of Wight and the Midlands.

Victoria Beeching moved into a SH flat in Rye with her husband Tom and their two young children.

She said damp conditions had led to her baby son being hospitalised last year with severe croup after black mould grew in his cot.

Ms Beeching added her "struggles" with SH had caused a debilitating anxiety condition.

"I am so low all the time," she told the BBC. "This situation is consuming my life.

"I've missed out on the first few years of my son's life because I've had to spend so much time fighting [SH]."

The couple first spotted mould in March 2022 around the bedroom windows.

It later spread to the walls, bathroom, toilet and kitchen, despite their best efforts to clean it.

SH visited the property multiple times after Ms Beeching reported the problem, but she said the mould had persisted throughout 2023.

She said the housing association had never tackled the root cause - only treating it with washes and painting over it.

Ms Beeching said she had asked SH to move several times, with the family of four now too big for the two-bedroom flat, but had not been offered an alternative property.

It was "severe maladministration", she said, adding she had complained to the housing ombudsman and enlisted the help of a disrepair solicitor to try to force SH to solve the problem.

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SH told the BBC it had not identified structural damp during the first inspection of the property following Ms Beeching's complaint.

In response to "ongoing concerns", mould treatments were undertaken, kitchen and bathroom fans were serviced and the roof and loft space were inspected, they added.

"At present, there is no visible damp or mould in the property," SH continued.

In May 2024, SH awarded Ms Beeching £3,400 compensation.

After asbestos was discovered in their house, SH offered Ms Beeching nearby temporary accommodation while they made repairs.

However, she said the family could not move there temporarily given the state of her mental and physical health, and the disruption it would cause.

"What we really need is a suitable house," she said. "This one is hell. How can they let us live like this?"

In a statement, SH said it was working to find the family alternative accommodation, but options are limited due to the "housing crisis".

SH added it would continue to work with Ms Beeching to ensure her home was "safe and suitable" for the family.

Anna Dewey and her husband David moved into a SH house in July 2023 with their four children.

She said the property in Hastings had been signed off as "safe and liveable" by an SH surveyor.

But mould issues had soon appeared in the bathroom, which spread to the bedrooms and kitchen, said Ms Dewey.

It had forced her to throw away all their food and store their shopping in carrier bags in the living room, she said.

The BBC has seen a letter from NHS staff calling for the repairs "as a matter of urgency" or for the family to be rehoused as one of the children had a weakened immune system due to an underlying health condition.

Ms Dewey claims SH did not take this letter into account.

She said although SH had made repairs, the damp had remained and had been making the family's clothes and beds wet.

It had also damaged the children's toys.

"I just want to be able to live in a home happily and safely with my family by Christmas,” she said.

SH apologised for not resolving the issue with previous mould treatments.

It added that it understood how frustrating it must be for Ms Dewey, and more treatments would be carried out in the next two to three weeks.

Jessica Pourasghar and her husband bought a two-bedroom flat in Ore, Hastings, as leaseholders in 2021.

She said the family had learnt the property had a severe issue with rising damp after the wallpaper fell off within weeks of moving in.

As freeholders, SH are responsible for the external maintenance of the building.

The problem has allegedly forced the couple’s six-year-old autistic son to move out of his bedroom, while Ms Pourasghar sleeps on the sofa.

Her husband had had pneumonia twice since they moved in and all the family had suffered respiratory illnesses, she said.

In a statement, SH said it was aware damp and mould problems were impacting the family's health and wellbeing.

It said after the issue had been reported to them in August 2022, they had addressed defective pointing on her external walls. The following year they had carried out more repairs after further reports.

"Since February 2024, we've been working to better understand the cause of the mould," SH continued.

Ms Pourasghar said the company had promised to install a new damp proof course and improve the pointing outside, but this had not been done.

“You have to constantly call, constantly email. When you get a response it tends to be ‘I’m really sorry we’ll get back to you in a few days’, and in a few days you get nothing,” she said.

She said she was terrified about the mould getting worse over winter.

“We’ve asked (SH) constantly over and over again... this needs to be fixed, but we’ve been ignored completely," she said.

SH said it was committed to improving communication with Ms Pourasghar and its residents.

The housing association said it would continue to work closely with Ms Pourasghar to address her concerns and the underlying issues causing the mould.

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