A north-east man has claimed his mouldy council house has made his life a living hell and accused the authority of just “painting over” the problem.
Garry Stitchell has lived with his dog, Franko, in his Mastrick council home for the past three years.
But he claims the condition of the property is affecting his health, with the poorly-insulated walls riddled with mould, and the wallpaper hanging off.
The P&J visited Mr Stitchell’s home and observed the wallpaper hanging loose, cracked window sills and that the floorboards appeared sodden.
He told us he has had the “worst three years” of his life trying to get the city council to fix the problem, claiming that each time they just paint over the mould.
‘This is a living hell’
He has also claimed emails to the council asking for help to resolve the issue have gone unanswered.
Mr Stitchell said: “If all that needed doing was a wall painting, I could do that myself.
“This is a living hell, the wallpaper is peeling off all the walls, and the house is poorly insulated, the mould is everywhere, and it is making me sick.
“I have had to paint my bathroom grey because the wall is just covered in it.
He added: “I can’t take this anymore, something needs to be done, and it feels like no one is listening to me.”
“I initially moved here because of my mental health issues, but they have just got worse since the move.
“I have had to miss counselling sessions because of constant chest infections. There is only so much Lemsip can do.
“I have even tried moving or swapping flats, but who would want to live here?”
Final straw
Mr Stitchell contacted the P&J out of frustration after what he dubbed the “final straw” – a fall in the kitchen.
He tripped after mould had eroded part of a cupboard, causing him to fall on an outlet switch, which he says the council have left him liable for.
Inspectors from Aberdeen City Council last visited the flat back in February 2021, where they advised Mr Stitchell on how to heat and ventilate the property.
A council spokeswoman said: “An inspection was carried out in February 2021 regarding repairs to the property, where advice was given to the tenant in relation to heating and ventilation.
“No further reports of damp have been reported to us since. We will discuss these concerns directly with the tenant.”
However, Mr Stitchell said their advice had been to have his heating on more.
The 51-year-old added: “Who can afford to have their heating on all the time? It gets that cold in here that I sometimes have to get into bed to try and stop getting chest infections.
“This on top of my anxiety and depression, it is just a lot. I just hope someone will see this and something can be done as I don’t really know what else I can do.”
Others speak out over similar circumstances
Mr Stitchell is not the first to complain over the condition of his council house in recent months.
Clair Wallace and John Robertson had their dreams of a family home dashed when they found their new council flat riddled with black mould and human faeces.
Meanwhile single mother Jacqueline Robertson slammed the state of her Aberdeen council flat which is damp and covered in mould – which she claimed left her seven-month-old with breathing problems.
