A woman says she has been forced to live in her sodden Aberdeen flat for weeks despite pleading with her landlord to be moved from the “unsafe” property.
Bar manager Alison Gordon has spent the last fortnight trying to dry out the bedroom in her Charlotte Street flat after a leak soaked the walls, ceiling and floor.
The water damage is so severe in one corner of the room that the floorboards sink under her feet as she walks by, before slowly springing back into place.
Despite this, the 53-year-old says Langstane Housing Association bosses told her the property was “liveable” and to continue sleeping there.
She said: “I’m just pig sick of it all. No-one would agree to sleep in this room.
“As far as I’m concerned, they have a duty of care and they aren’t meeting it.
“They’re expecting me to live in this and told me just to walk on the dry parts.”
Ms Gordon first raised her concerns to the landlord three weeks ago, but said that even she was unaware of the full extent of the damage at first.
After she was given permission to lift the carpet she discovered that a hole had begun forming in the floor.
“Even my bed is covered in water damage,” she said.
“They told me it was fine because it was clean water coming in it – but it’s going through other flats too before it gets to mine and you can see it’s brown on my walls.”
Last week a plumber was sent to identify the cause and discovered a leaking pipe between the concrete two floors above Ms Gordon’s flat.
She was given a heater and a dehumidifier to help dry out her property.
Unhappy with her living situation, Ms Gordon spent several nights in a hotel – and Langstane has agreed to refund the costs “as a gesture of goodwill”.
The housing association says repair work could begin today, as long as the walls and floor are sufficiently dry.
A spokeswoman said Ms Gordon’s initial report was “unfortunately overlooked” and that its customer service has “fallen far short” of the expected standard.
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She added: “The association advised Ms Gordon the property was habitable and confirmed we will redecorate the bedroom and replace the flooring once the walls and flooring have dried out.
“The safety and wellbeing of our tenants is paramount and we will ensure any electrical appliances within the bedroom are tested to ensure they are safe.”
