my council flat is a nightmare

Fraise

I think it sounds like a condensation problem though I'm happy to be corrected. Whatever it is, it needs treating, as mould is seriously harmful to your health and can cause lung damage and other illnesses too.

Whatever the cause it needs to be addressed. If it's due to poor ventilation and lack of heating, then the council should fit radiators and air vents. If it's due to washing hanging inside to dry etc, then you yourself need to sort that out.

As for the damaged carpet, as it is your property and was damaged by the council's building contractors, then they are liable to compensate you. Don;t claim on your insurance as your premiums will go up. The builders will have insurance, let them claim on theirs. They did the damage!

By the way, if this is a severe problem is there any chance of being rehoused?

tinkerbell_2k12

Fraise wrote: »

I think it sounds like a condensation problem though I'm happy to be corrected. Whatever it is, it needs treating, as mould is seriously harmful to your health and can cause lung damage and other illnesses too.

Whatever the cause it needs to be addressed. If it's due to poor ventilation and lack of heating, then the council should fit radiators and air vents. If it's due to washing hanging inside to dry etc, then you yourself need to sort that out.

As for the damaged carpet, as it is your property and was damaged by the council's building contractors, then they are liable to compensate you. Don;t claim on your insurance as your premiums will go up. The builders will have insurance, let them claim on theirs. They did the damage!

By the way, if this is a severe problem is there any chance of being rehoused?

I've put my name on the housing list but they say I'm adequately housed apparently.

Thanks for all the helpful advice off everyone. Environmental health. Have advised the council that fans need to be fitted and the walls repaired and replastered but they said they can't force them to do the repairs

tinkerbell_2k12

I'll be on the phone to them first thing to complain about my carpet I'm going to request someone higher up than the inspector to come view the damage to carpet and condition of the property

moremore

tinkerbell_2k12 wrote: »

I'll be on the phone to them first thing to complain about my carpet I'm going to request someone higher up than the inspector to come view the damage to carpet and condition of the property

Have a look at your council website and that will give you an indication what their responsibilities are under rights to Repair. Do not expect much from them as all council are short of money for their tenants.

Speak to Shelter they are very good also for advice on the conditons of your home. Mould is not good for your child and they should be able to advise about that for you.

http://england.shelter.org.uk/get_advice/downloads_and_tools


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mold_health_issues

witchy1066

tinkerbell keep at it , if your home is damp and you have taken every precaution to prevent it then the council are liable,

take photo's of all the damp and mould areas , another idea is to make an appointment with your Dr and show him/her the photo's and tell them you are worried about our childs health,
if your Dr is worth their salt they will write you a note to take to the council,

enquire about council arbitrator service in your area, hopefully they will be able to help you get this problem resolved,

you should be able to get compensation for your carpet if you report it soon enough, the best time would have been as soon as the workmen had left,

don't expect the full value , they will take into consideration age and condition of carpet when the accident happened , in these council cash strapped days they are keener than ever to avoid paying anything if they don't have to,
hopefully as another poster said the workmen will have had to have had insurance,

HTH

sandsni

Radiators will only help if they're actually used. How long to you keep the central heating on every day? People underestimate the need to adequately heat as well as ventilate the home to minimise the effects of condensation on cold walls.

If you're using a dryer, make sure the steam is vented outside the house, not just into the room.

AFAIK Environmental Health do have the authority to force private LLs to do repairs within a given time frame (or face a hefty fine), but maybe this doesn't apply to council housing. Hopefully someone more knowledgeable than me will be able to clarify that.

delain

shegar wrote: »

If you bought a dehumidifyer you would probaly find it would collect all your water in your house, one machine will do a 3 bed house with all the internal doors left open, real good investment for condensation.......

I had a flat like the OP's (but private rental) it was a 2 bed flat and the huge dehumidifier the LL eventually provided filled with water every 3 hours and made my electricity bills triple :eek: plus all the walls were STILL wet to touch and extremely mouldy. If I went away for two days my bedding would be not just damp but wet to touch...

The LL's answer? Leave the windows open and the heating on. My request as to how much of the gas bill he was prepared to pay was met with stony silence :rotfl: I had windows open anyway and didn't dry washing inside, bathroom didn't have a window or a fan.

I scrubbed the walls with neat bleach monthly, it was still black again in a week...

So no, a dehumidifier will not solve the OP's problem.

In the end I moved!

indsty

As Witchy has said - take photos of the damp for your records, and visit your GP and show him the photos. Ask him for his opinion as to whether it is detrimental to your children to live in this environment and if he would be willing to support your requests to the housing department.

Living in your flat must be really depressing at times when all you want to do is make a nice home for yourself and kids. Hope you can get it sorted. Do other flats around you have the same problems?

tinkerbell_2k12

witchy1066 wrote: »

you should be able to get compensation for your carpet if you report it soon enough, the best time would have been as soon as the workmen had left,

don't expect the full value , they will take into consideration age and condition of carpet when the accident happened , in these council cash strapped days they are keener than ever to avoid paying anything if they don't have to,
hopefully as another poster said the workmen will have had to have had insurance,

HTH

I wish I had seen it straight away before their office's closed, unfortunately I left the house a few mins after they did, as my mam had picked my son up from school so I went to pick him up. When I got home and opened the door I just see it staring at me. It's really bothered me that I've got wait till morning before I can speak to them about it.
I just feel like I'm pestering them lately I've phoned them loads of times to come sort the problems out the property has

tinkerbell_2k12

indsty wrote: »

As Witchy has said - take photos of the damp for your records, and visit your GP and show him the photos. Ask him for his opinion as to whether it is detrimental to your children to live in this environment and if he would be willing to support your requests to the housing department.

Living in your flat must be really depressing at times when all you want to do is make a nice home for yourself and kids. Hope you can get it sorted. Do other flats around you have the same problems?

It really gets me down, I just want my home to be a lovely warm environment for me and my son, I think the downstairs flat did have some problems with damp on the outside walls, but in don't see the neighbor much because theyre disabled and don't leave the house very often, I'd feel nosey asking the carers that go in if downstairs is the same