Where to complain about LHA

shazza71_2

Does anyone know where we go to complain about our LHA.

Tryin to make this short BUT..

LHA have added external wall insulation to the house, i havent had any1 out yet to see the mould and condensation problems but have spoken to neighbours with similar problems.
Now my neighbours have had inspectors out and have been told to open all upstairs windows to let the air flow, which TBH is ridiculous at this time of year, but they r not doing anything about the actual black spot mould that is appearing. can anyone help with what to do in this situation plz

thnx
shazz

motherofstudents

Did the mould start soon after the insulation was done ? Is it happening on the outsde walls that were insulated ? Sometimes cavity wall insulation can cause damp in an evenly spaced pattern. Is the mould something new that you didn't have before this was done ? Presumably the LHA have examined it and told you to open windows. Do they think it is general condensation unconnected to the insulation ?

shazza71_2

Hiya motherofstudents,
the insulation was put on about 5 months ago, we have never had any problems in the 18yrs we have lived here until now.
Just come off the phone to my LHA and they have told me its condensation and to open the windows, i told them we r on a very low income and cant afford to put the heating on so can`t open the windows, so they have agreed to send someone out to check the insulation in the roof.
I dont expect them to do anything listening to other peoples stories, so was wondering what we can do if they refuse to help.
thanx
shazz

HappyMJ

You don't have to leave the windows open all the time. Just open them up for 10-15 minutes once a day. Maybe when you get home open the bedroom windows for 10 minutes for some fresh air in there and when you go to bed or have a bath/shower then open the other windows.

poppysarah

Get a dehumidifier.

cattie

Suggest to your local authority that putting in air bricks might help with ventilation, if you don't have any in affected rooms. But they are right, you do usually need to open the windows for a short while each day once you've had cavity wall insulation done. Do any of your windows have trickle vents? If so, keep them open, as this will help.

Have you noticed the windows are wet when you get up in the mornings? As this is usually one of the most obvious signs of condensation. If they are wet, then getting rid of the water each morning with a window squeezy & a wash leather will help reduce the condensation.

shazza71_2

Happy MJ the bathroom window is nearly always open.
Cattie it is not cavity wall insulation we had that done yrs ago, this is polystyrene type blocks that have been attached to the outside of the house then rendered over.

The LHA have caused the problems so surely they should sort it out.

shazz

cattie

If you haven't already, why not do an Internet search for the kind of insulation that has been installed & find out any related issues it may bring with damp & mould growth. Copy any relevant pages/articles & send them to your housing dept. I'm not sure if it will do any good, but at least it's worth a try & you might find out some possible remedies as well.

pararct

The condensation you are experiencing is not caused by the new new insulation it is a consequence of it.
Your home has been insulated to help it keep warmer and keep the heat in, subsequently water vapour finds it much more difficult to escape and is 'condensing' (creating water) on cold surfaces such as your walls and window glass. The mould is caused by the damp.

You (or the HA) need to fit extractor fans in the bathroom/shower rooms, you should ensure your tumble dryer is correctly vented and use the cooker hood extractor when cooking and keep the kitchen door closed.
Drying your washing indoors on a horse or radiators will also cause condensation.

Even people cause condensation when they breathe out.

40 years ago before people use to fit draught excluder's to their houses and before central heating was widespread we never used to suffer the condensation problems we do today. It is simply down to modern living and the fact houses cannot properly vent themselves.

shazza71_2

Cattie, i havent a clue what it is. we got a letter saying there would be external wall insulation work happening, 3 days later the scaffolding went up, no specifics, no-one explaining anything..

Pararact, we have an extractor fan in the bathroom its been there for years we also open the window(tbh its brassic in the bathroom), dont use a tumble dryer, cant put the washing outside at this time of year. we are being told to open all our windows but TBH its a council estate, low income families.. how the hell can we open our windows when we cant afford to put the heating on.. this time last year it was costing £65 per week for gas and electric, we now have an income of £120 per week so there is no way we can do the same. the pics i`ve seen from others on this estate is disgusting and we are all being told "open your windows"