Council officials put a dampener on tenant's problem house claim

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Council officials put a dampener on tenant's problem house claim

SALLY GILLESPIE

Borders Today - Selkirk,Scotland,UK

http://www.borderstoday.co.uk/ViewArticle2.aspx?

SectionID=968 & ArticleID=2091082

A KELSO woman is calling for action on her damp house.

Margaret McMillan of Orchard Park claims housing officers on two or

three occasions have told her the dampness in two bedrooms was

condensation.

She says she had to move her two young sons from the room they were

sleeping in because it aggravated their asthma.

And this week she asked a council environmental services officer for

his opinion on the ish Borders Housing Association home.

She claims he confirmed on Tuesday that the problem blue and black

mould was from dampness, though he was unable to say where it came

from.

Margaret told us: " I just want SBHA to get it sorted because we

can't live like this. "

But SBHA says they have been called out only once, earlier this

month, to a report of dampness in the house.

And they stand by their assessment that the problem is condensation

due to lack of ventilation.Chief executive Janice Cambridge said the

extent of the condensation combined with the house being traditional

build strongly pointed to there not being enough ventilation over a

long time.

" Fundamentally the windows have to be kept open to some extent and

the house properly heated, otherwise condensation is highly likely

to occur with this house being so full, " she said.

Margaret lives with her partner McMillan and has three

children, 11-year-old , 10-year-old and eight-year-

old .

She said: " The boys were in the back room but we had to move them

out because of their asthma. My youngest kept needing his inhaler

all the time but since we moved him, he's been sleeping fine and is

not needing his inhaler as often. "

Margaret has lived in her ground floor flat for five years and says

there has been a problem with damp for the last four.

" SBHA say it's condensation and expect me to leave my windows open

for three hours a day. I'm in a bottom flat and there's no way I can

do that because it just gives people the opportunity to break in and

steal. "

She and had decorated 's bedroom as a Christmas

present in 2005.

Margaret said: " It's ruined now. There's black stuff coming through

the wallpaper we put up. Her new wardrobe is ruined with blue mould

over the back of it and her clothes inside it are all ruined. The

carpets are ruined and absolutely stinking. "

She continued: " I'm sick of it. I'm unemployed. I can't just go out

and buy new things. We had to save hard to buy that for her. "

She said: " It is definitely dampness. The environmental services

officer tested it with his machine. He thinks it's inside the walls

but he doesn't know where it's coming from. He said he was going to

get in contact with SBHA. "

Meanwhile SBHA is checking the family's bathroom fan – which the

family told them did not always work – and will repair it if

required.

Mrs Cambridge said: " SBHA will make sure there is fully operational

electrical ventilation where regulations require it. "

01 March 2007