Yeovil: Photos show mould that led to £4,600 fine

Photos showing the mouldy conditions in a housing association property that led to a £4,600 fine have been revealed.

The resident lived in one of Abri's properties in Martock, Somerset. The photos show mould in the bathroom, on windows and in cupboards.

She complained to the Housing Ombudsman after Abri failed to deal with a damp and mould problem.

Abri has apologised to the tenant, who has since moved to another of its properties.

The Ombudsman, which exists to investigate allegations of "maladministration" and "service failure", said the housing agency repeatedly carried out the same inadequate repairs.

Abri which is based in Eastleigh in Hampshire, was formed by the merger of Yarlington and two other housing associations. The agency serves as landlord to numerous social rent or affordable rent properties.

In late 2017, the tenant moved into a property owned by Abri, which was later found to have issues with damp and mould.

The resident lived there with her guide dog and adult sons - one of whom was acting as a son.

The tenancy agreement stated that the landlord would treat any reports of "severe dampness" within 30 days of being reported.

When she first reported the issue in November 2019, an inspection said the bedroom walls were "very damp/wet to touch".

The Housing Ombudsman said there were no repairs evidence to suggest works had taken place.

The following month, damp was treated in the kitchen but once again it made no mention of the bedroom.

After the inspection, Abri carried out a number of works, including installing and upgrading fans and carrying out mould works.

This did not fully solve the problem, and the tenant continued to report a number of issues with damp and mould.

The mould problem got so out of hand, the tenant says she was forced to throw away all of her soft furnishings.

She also said her occupational therapist had advised her to sleep downstairs.

"Every ten days me and my son would try and clean the windows as they told us," she said.

"They kept telling us different advice. Abri were telling us we were not airing, ventilating and heating.

"They were telling us to open the windows with the radiators below the window. It was not sustainable"

The Ombudsman's findings said the landlord undertook the same anti-mould treatment year on year at the property despite it not being effective.

It also added that the landlord should have taken robust action at an early stage to identify the cause of the damp and mould.

On February 9 2021, a surveyor visited the property and found "widespread condensation and mould". They recommended the installation of a positive input ventilation system.

Abri finally responded to the complaint in late-April 2021, apologising for the delays and recognising that "the issue should have been fixed sooner".

The case was referred to the Ombudsman in August 2021, by which time Abri had already resolved the underlying problem and offered compensation.

This was due to a delay in the Housing Ombudsman determining the case and publishing its findings.

The Ombudsman ordered the landlord to pay £4,588 in compensation, which took in account rent paid during this period, as well as implementing a damp and mould strategy and improving its record keeping.

Since 2022, Abri have offered the customer a new home, which she is currently living in. The housing agency have also offered that the tenant can return to her new home, which is currently undergoing repairs.

Abri's executive director of operations, Ralph Facey, says the housing agency accepted the Ombudsman's judgement in full and have trained their colleagues to recognise and address the signs of damp.

"We took too long and we weren't as responsive as we are now. We've dramatically remodelled our services," said Mr Facey.

"It's important that we learn from our mistakes, put matters right and improve services for all of our customers."

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