An Aberdeen mum-of-three has said she feels “helpless” about the mould and damp issues in her flat.
The 25-year-old, who did not wish to be named, moved into the council property with her young children in July last year.
She said everything seemed fine to begin with but when temperatures dropped, a number of problems started to appear.
As well a broken front door constantly letting in cold air, mould and damp has been gradually spreading across most of the walls in the flat.
“Once I was aware of it, I started seeing it everywhere,” she said. “I wouldn’t say this is a liveable property. I just want to be somewhere safe for me and my kids.”
‘Freezing air’ coming through door
The flat in the Middlefield area of the city was empty for some time before the young family moved in last summer.
“They should have done quite a bit of work on this place before giving it to somebody,” the mum-of-three added.
“I’m here in the dead of winter with two holes in my roof, just waiting. Every time it’s cold outside I have to put my heating on five or six times a day, you can just imagine where it’s all going.
“I’m still waiting for my front door to be fixed. It’s totally broken, it opens and closes but there’s freezing cold air coming in.
“The entrance is carpeted and that’s just constantly wet, so I get a lot of mould down there as well. I need to bleach wash the door in the inside because it’s covered in mould.”
Mould on children’s teddies
Aberdeen City Council has said its teams are “liasing” with their tenant to address her concerns but she feels she is not being listened to.
An inspector has visited the property three times since the issues were first raised last year, but the only work carried out has been painting over the mould.
“It just comes through again,” she said. “I keep phoning them and asking for help but nothing is being done. I’m passed round from person to person. Nobody wants to listen or speak to me about it. I feel a bit helpless.”
She claimed her children, aged six, two and one, have been sick “all the time” since they moved in.
“I was putting my son to bed and was wondering why his covers felt wet. I thought it must just be because of the cold because his room is the biggest, but then I put my hand on the wall and realised they were actually wet.
“I’ve lost count of the things which that have got mould on them. I’ve found some of my daughter’s teddies that are mouldy and I’ve had to throw them away.
“Also, jackets hanging at the bottom of the stairs I had to throw away – a couple of the kids’ and one of my own.”
An Aberdeen City Council spokesman said: “We are liaising directly with our tenant on the matter.”
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