Blackpool letting agent says tenant is to blame for mouldy house as mum describes heartbreak of being 'unable to provide a safe home' for her disabled child

Rachel Schofield said she first contacted Environmental Health in 2020 to report mould and damp, as she was concerned about her children’s health in the home.

But two years later, the letting agent has been ordered to carry out repairs – but have said the mould problem is because the house it not ‘adequately heated and ventilated to avoid condensation’.

‘they have done nothing to address the mould and damp’

In November 2022, inspectors wrote to the letting agent, Hindley and Lamb, advising them of 28 days to make improvements to the Bridge House Lane property.

But Rachel, who is a full time carer to her disabled daughter, said they sent ‘cowboy builders’ in and they didn’t do any of the recommendations to address the black mould.

She said: "They’ve just done minimal work to say they’ve done something, and the main thing is they have done nothing to address the mould and damp.”

‘My chest feels really tight when I go to bed’

Rachel moved to the property in 2017 with her two children, aged 12, and 15 – including one with epilepsy and autism. She now also has a three year old child.

She told the Gazette that she’d got the house looking really nice, and had always taken pride in keeping it clean and tidy.

Now she spends every other day wiping mould from the walls, and has even had to throw away some of her clothes and furniture because they were so badly affected.

But her main concern is for her children’s health.

She added: ”As soon as you go upstairs at night time you can feel it in the air. It’s harder to breathe and the children are coughing. My chest feels really tight when I go to bed. I’m so worried that we are breathing this in."

‘It’s all the way up the walls and round the windows.’

The black mould is in every room – but says it is worse in the living room and the bedrooms. There is no insulation or damp proofing in the home, and she thinks it hasn’t been pointed in a long time.

"It’s all the way up the walls, and round the windows. You can see where it’s coming in from outside the house.”

But the letting agent considers the main cause is the ‘inadequate’ heating, which is ‘exacerbated by the use of a tumble dryer’ – which the tenant said she rarely uses.

Environmental health sent an ‘Improvement Notice’

In a letter issued on Nov 2, 2022 and seen by the Gazette, the letting agent was ordered to carry out seven improvements to make the home safe.

These included fully insulating the loft, re- boarding the bathroom ceiling with foil backed plasterboard, and leaving a ventilation space between the insulation and roof covering, to help with the damp problem.

It also specified that the ‘detached’ and ‘crumbling’ plaster should be removed, and replaced with new plaster-work, done to a ‘smooth finish and flush to the surrounding surfaces’, and then decorated on completion.

But Rachel insists that even this wasn’t done properly.

“They literally came round the house with a small tub of filler, which I could have done myself. It’s not flush to the walls, and they haven’t even painted over it. They’ve just done the bare minimum to tick a box and say they’ve done work. They should be sending out an independent damp and mould specialist to assess how bad this is.”

‘I feel like I’m letting my children down because I can’t even provide a decent safe home’

Rachel said that she feels trapped at the property. While she’s never missed a rent payment, Rachel said prospective landlords won’t give her a chance without a homeowner guarantor.

She has tried to apply for a council house but says four bedroom houses are virtually impossible to find.

Her current home is three bedrooms, and her youngest son sleeps in Rachel’s room.

"I’ve been trying for ages to get out of this house but the council just offer me a bidding number. There are so few suitable properties going. I put in a bid, and within hours I was showing as number 75 on the list.

It’s heartbreaking. I feel like I’m letting my children down because I can’t even provide a decent safe home.”

Rachel said that she is disappointed that Blackpool Council’s Environmental Health inspectors have not been back out to the property to assess the work that was carried out in December.

What the letting agent said

Hindley and Lamb letting agents said: “All the work detailed in the improvement notice issued by Blackpool Council were completed to the satisfaction of the tenant as per signed satisfaction form. Blackpool Council were also happy with the completed works following their inspection.

Regarding the mould on her walls and ceiling, this is caused by condensation, the property needs to be adequately heated and ventilated to avoid condensation by the tenant, the problem will be exacerbated by the use of a tumble dryer at the property.

Whilst we appreciate the increased cost of tenants heating their properties, it’s imperative to heat the property adequately to help eliminate the problem.”

What Environmental Health said

John Blackledge, Director of Community and Environmental Services at Blackpool Council said: “The council has been involved with a private tenant’s concerns to ensure that their property is up to standards, as any tenant’s well-being in our town is vitally important.

“Some work by the letting agents was done at the property and there was evidence that a problem of damp and mould had been undertaken and had been reduced, alongside ventilation systems ordered. However the council, following an assessment issued a notice in November for further improvement works.

A visit to the property is currently being arranged with all parties including Housing Enforcement Officers, tenant and agent to discuss any outstanding matters of concern and solutions.”