Blaenavon: Tenants battle damp and mould in draughty homes

A woman has said her flat is so cold and damp she sometimes goes to bed as early as six PM to stay warm.

Denise Jones said there was persistent black mould in her bathroom and found toadstools growing in her kitchen.

Her landlord, Bron Afon housing association, said it would "continue to work" with her to resolve any issues.

The Welsh government has written to social landlords "seeking urgent assurance" on how they monitor and respond to damp and mould issues.

It follows a coroner's conclusion that toddler Awaab Ishak from Rochdale died from a respiratory condition caused by exposure to mould in his home.

Community Housing Cymru, which represents housing associations, said landlords do not "underestimate the seriousness of the issue" and are speeding up responses to reports of damp and mould.

Denise, 56, from Blaenavon, Torfaen, shares a two-bedroom first floor flat with her son Robert, 34 and her 18-year-old daughter Abbie.

She has lived there for 20 years but said she started having problems with damp and mould four-and-a-half years ago after a large amount of snow got into their loft.

The roof had been taken off to carry out improvement work when Storm Emma hit.

Denise said that when the snow melted, water seeped into the flat and caused the ceilings to collapse.

Although the initial damage was repaired, the family say the flat has felt colder and damper since.

Denise said it does not feel like the home it used to be.

"I used to love it here but I'd move tomorrow if I had the chance."

They say there is persistent mould above the bathroom window despite keeping the room ventilated.

"We're painting it regularly, cleaning it with bleach, and other household cleaning products just to keep it at a minimum," Robert said.

"We all suffer with asthma, I find particularly this time of year that I suffer with a lot of chest infections.

"It smells quite bad, particularly when it's warm or the heating's on.

"That leads to you feeling sick or not wanting to go into the bathroom."

Denise said the damp and mould problems bring extra costs.

"You've got to open the window in this cold weather, we've got to have the vent open we've been told all year.

"It's costing me a fortune with paint, bleach."

She added that there has also been damp in the kitchen.

"A couple of weeks ago I was in the kitchen doing my housework and at the bottom of the radiator there was two toadstools."

With energy bills so high, having to put the heating on more is "hitting her for six".

"The amount of money I've got to pay out for bills, the electric, gas, it's hard. It's very hard.

"Some nights it's that cold I just go to bed. I'm in bed some nights by six o'clock just trying to keep warm.

"I live on biscuits some days just to make sure that my son and my daughter have got food. That's how hard it is."

Robert said he has been skipping meals too to save money and £20 on gas was lasting "three or four days if you're lucky".

"It's just a struggle keeping warm."

They have called for Bron Afon to take action to make the home warmer but feel the housing association "don't listen."

Torfaen councillor Janet Jones told BBC Radio Wales "quite a few families" in the area have problems with damp and mould and she was worried about the health impact.

"In all fairness in the last two months I have seen a great improvement with social landlords taking on board the concerns of people and actually working very quickly to try and eradicate the problem," she said.

Scott Tanner, 31, lives opposite the family in a one-bed flat and has also had problems since the storm when he had snow in his loft and water running down the walls.

His bathroom became so damp that the paint and plaster began coming away.

He said it is "very stressful" having to put the heating on more as the flat is "very draughty".

"Last Wednesday I put £25 on the heating and I had to put another £20 on it yesterday (Tuesday)."

Catherine Love from Bron Afon said the housing association had "worked closely" with Denise, Robert and Scott to "resolve the issues they've reported to us for some time".

"Our teams have attended to their homes to deal with any repairs reported in a timely way, and all outstanding repairs that were reported to us have been completed.

"We will continue to work with them to resolve any other issues and provide advice and support if and when they need it.

"At the time of the storm in 2018, we were working on these homes as part of a planned investment programme to improve the energy efficiency in a number of homes we had identified for improvement.

"The circumstances that led to the issues during the storm were outside of our control, but we responded quickly to deal with the immediate aftermath and then completed the work appropriately when the weather allowed."

The housing association added: "We understand how difficult the cost of living is making it for many people to heat their homes. We provide all our customers with support and advice on the best ways to keep their homes warm and ventilated to prevent damp and mould."

The Welsh Government letter to social housing landlords calls for them to respond by 20 January over the following issues:

Stuart Ropke of Community Housing Cymru said: "While the latest Welsh government statistics show that Welsh housing association homes continue to be brought up to a good standard by social landlords, we do not underestimate the seriousness of the issue.

"Housing associations are expediting their responses to reports of damp and mould on the ground, and we are also working with partners across the housing sector to ensure that this issue is properly addressed, and that tenants feel heard.

"If any housing association tenant has a damp or mould problem in their home, we encourage them to speak with their landlord as a priority."

Andrea Lewis of the Welsh Local Government Association, which represents councils, said it takes the matter "very seriously" and would be responding to the Welsh government's request for information.

"Should any council tenant have any issues or concerns, we would advise them to get in touch with their local authority."