Living in council house that's making me & my family ill

iamcornholio

stebiz wrote: »

But there again we couldn't use an excuse of blaming the council.

Good for you.

But I am sure you would blame somebody if a product or service which you had received was substandard?

You are also probably not aware that many council properties are inherently defective (due to their design/construction) which makes them prone to damp and condensation problems not matter how hard the tenants ventilate and heat the property.

AdmiralX

MamaMoo wrote: »

The whole house is above a shop, but apparently, it's rising damp

It is important to find what caused the sickness and might be several combined factors.
What kind of shop is it? Some times problems are caused partially by the use underneath. Try to contact your MP by going to their Surgery and also your Councillor

iamcornholio wrote: »

What you need to do is consult a local Solicitor (free legal aid if you qualify) for action under Statutory Nuisance (Section 79 and 82 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990). Then a notice will be served on the council to abate the nuisance within 21 days or face action in the magistrates court.
Another option, but takes a bit longer is to take legal action under other landlord and tenant legislation "The Housing Disrepair Protocol" - see a legal advisor. This option may get you compensation

All that above is useful.

It takes very long to Councils to act.

Norman_Castle

MamaMoo wrote: »

Was following the advice of the council. More fool me. Can you recommend any good products to clean with? Thanks

Soap and water. http://www.mouldfacts.ca/remove-mold.html

stebiz

iamcornholio wrote: »

Good for you.

But I am sure you would blame somebody if a product or service which you had received was substandard?

You are also probably not aware that many council properties are inherently defective (due to their design/construction) which makes them prone to damp and condensation problems not matter how hard the tenants ventilate and heat the property.

Or maybe I am, and owned my own surveying practice, carrying out hundreds of valuations/surveys for banks and building societies, before I changed career. I am also a landlord too. A number of times over, and sadly 'some' tenants are so quick to blame others, rather than look a little closer to home.

In this case, if the windows are damaged, this is not going to help the situation, by all means. But certainly shouldn't leave the house as uninhabitable.

Francesanne

jayship wrote: »

Probably guttering? Do a quick check

or maybe the lead flashings.

TheSaint_2

OP - you could try getting some silicon sealant (about £1.50 from somewhere cheap like tool station) and a silicon gun - again a couple of quid, and try cutting out the old silicon yourself and applying some new stuff. Both inside and outside if you can.

You can also buy some stick on draught excluder for a few quid which you can put around the seal to the window so that when it is closed it does not let air through.

I had to do this on my first house and it made my windows useable until I could afford to get them completely replaced.

AdmiralX

iamcornholio wrote: »

You are also probably not aware that many council properties are inherently defective (due to their design/construction) which makes them prone to damp and condensation problems not matter how hard the tenants ventilate and heat the property.

I had read that Councils had had to built houses and blocks of flats in the 50s and 60s very very fast, and they had made in a hurry mistakes. But the then regulations are not good as today. But I see in certain private flats in new and old places the situation can be disgusting too. There exist bad conditions of housing even in the private sector even in expensive areas and it is worsened when people loose jobs or get very old and income is reduced. Walls can be delapidated water running inside, pigeons etc.

wolfehouse

have you gotten in touch with 'shelter' for advice on your options?

budgetdiyer

Its important to assertain what is causing the damp / mould.

As you are first floor it is 100% not rising damp, rising damp will only rise about 1m from the ground level (gravity will not let the water rise any higher in the walls / structure etc)

What does that damp look like? If you are getting black mould growth it is most likely to be condensation causing the mould but this could be made worse if you have areas of penetration damp which are allowing more moisture into the house.

Penetrating damp or rising damp will just show a stain on paintwork etc, maybe with some 'salt' growth.

If you are getting condensation there are only limited things that you (or the council) can do to the structure of a building to help eliminate the cause.

I get severe condensation in my flat but its largely caused by:

a) Drying clothes inside
b) Bathroom with no extractor fan
c) Us breathing during the night (can't really stop that one! )
d) My wifes reluctance to open windows during the winter to ventilate the property!
e) My wifes insistance on turning the heating right up in the evening (thus allowing it to carry more moisture!)

Actually in a peverse way i highly doubt drafty window seals will cause your problems, if anything they will be slightly ventilating the house.

My advice call the Enviromental health officer, but be prepared that they might say there is no fault with the property and it is just a condensation issue.

MamaMoo_2

Ok.
I intend to go see a solicitor on Monday and see what advice I can get. I don't want compensation or damages, though, just temporary accommodation until they sort this problem out.
I saw a doctor yesterday, who has confirmed that my 11 week old son has developed asthma. He also said that it looked like my 19 month old is suffering rather badly from asthma too. My asthma has also come back (something I haven't suffered with since 2000) and we all have chest infections. The doctor is writing a letter to the council on my behalf. He offered without being asked, and after seeing pictures of the walls in the house, thinks we need to be out of there ASAP. He said he has no doubt that our illnesses have been caused by the damp & mould.

The housing office said the best they could do would be to investigate hostel places for me, but their hostels are single sex, and my husband probably wouldn't get a place anywhere.
Alternatively, we can go on the housing list as a priority case.

When the damp inspector came out, he said he couldn't attribute the mould to condensation, as the only wetness on any of the windows was pouring through the leaky seals. As I said before, we've tried everything that the council would suggest to stop damp, and all to no avail.

I'm going to go on the hunt for some fungicidal silicone etc as suggested by TheSaint. Even if it's not the best job, it may suffice until the council get their ar*e in gear.

Just to add as well, I don't dry clothes on airers etc, I use a condenser drier. When I cook, I open the windows until any steam etc has gone. Ditto when I bathe. I've tried leaving the upstairs windows open a cm or two constantly, but that didn't help.
The vents above all the windows make no difference when open, other than they let rain pour in (I left the vent in my kitchen open one night and woke up to find my windowsill and worktops flooded!)

The mould in my house is predominantly black, white and grey, but there is also some pink stuff too.