Council house damp is 'ruining our lives'

A council house tenant says persistent mould and damp in her home is making her family's life a misery and fears the conditions are harming her children's health.

Mother-of-four Charlotte Hardie, who has lived in her council house in Taunton, Somerset for several years, said repeated problems with damp and mould have never been permanently resolved.

She said her youngest son recently suffered from croup, which a doctor believed was due to the level of mould in the house.

Somerset Council, Hardie's landlord, said it takes reports of damp and mould seriously and encourages tenants to report any problems so it can inspect and take action where necessary.

Hardie said the problem was "all through" the house.

She also said council staff had previously visited the property but the underlying issue had not been fixed.

"They came out and they said to us 'it's ok - we'll just paint over it, it's fine,'" she said.

Hardie said the damp and mould was now affecting her children's health.

She said her son's mattress was "covered in black fluffy mould so he obviously couldn't stay in that anymore - the chest of drawers has spores growing behind it".

A Somerset Council spokesperson said it had "carried out a number of improvements" at Hardie's property since 2024, including the "installation of an extractor fan, new door and loft insulation".

"We are concerned to hear further reports of damp and have offered to carry out a further inspection to consider if additional repairs are required," they added.

The BBC previously interviewed Charlotte when she had similar issues with mould in another Taunton council house nine years ago.

She said she was now particularly worried about the long-term effects of mould exposure, following the death of two-year-old Awaab Ishak from Rochdale in 2020.

A coroner concluded Awaab died from a respiratory condition caused by prolonged exposure to mould in his home.

Last year, new regulations known as 'Awaab's Law' were introduced in England, requiring social landlords to investigate and fix damp and mould issues within strict timescales.

Kahn Shah, head of advice at the Centre for Sustainable Energy, said the law has strengthened tenants' rights.

He said since Awaab's Law social landlords were required to take "concerns seriously" and "to engage".

Shah said it was now a "legal obligation" and landlords need to "take action" to address issues and how they can prevent mould reappearing in the future.

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