A Greenwich couple claim they are going through ‘mental torture’ after dealing with damp and mould issues in their council flat for nearly four years. Kevin Barry, 71, and Rita Barry, 72, have lived in the flat in Blackheath for 29 years, with Mrs Barry claiming mould has been a recurring issue since 2021.
She says it’s been an issue since Greenwich Council attended to resolve damp that was coming into her son’s bedroom. More recently, the mum said the plastic guttering on the side of the building was causing water to saturate the outside wall each time it rained, leading to leaks in the bathroom.
Mrs Barry said the guttering was replaced on August 5 last year, alongside bricks on the wall being repointed. She said the leaks in the toilet appear to have ceased since then, but the ‘disgusting’ mould on the wall and floor have remained, claiming surveyors have told her the wall will eventually need to be replastered and redecorated.
Mrs Barry said ‘disgusting’ mould remains on the wall of the toilet despite the leak having stopped
(Image: Facundo Arrizabalaga/MyLondon)
She told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS): “The wall is all mouldy and horrible. It was a year ago last November when we reported that for the first time… The water was pouring out the bottom of the window. I walked in there one night to go to the loo and there was a big puddle on the floor.”
The couple said they then noticed the guttering on the front of the property had led to rain hitting the living room window in September last year, leaving a wet patch on the windowsill. Mrs Barry said a member of the authority’s repairs team visited last October and sprayed a sealant on the brickwork of the building to prevent water seeping into the outside walls.
Mr Barry told the LDRS: “He sprayed all this stuff out there and off he goes and since then we’ve had the weather that we’ve had. A short time later, this mould starts coming through here and it’s going all along the wall underneath the windows.”
Mr Barry said he previously had issues with mould in his bedroom in 2022
(Image: Facundo Arrizabalaga/MyLondon)
The pensioner said a Greenwich Council surveyor told him that the mould in the living room was due to retained water in the brickwork seeping inside the property after the sealant was applied to the external bricks. The couple claimed contractors have missed six appointments to investigate necessary works in the flat since the end of October.
Mr Barry said: “Weeks go by, months go by. We’re from the summer into the winter when the weather’s bad. It is unbelievable, it’s incompetency.”
He added: “You’ve got all these issues to face health-wise, which is a battle, and mentally you have got to stay strong for that. But when you’ve got the council launching a second front against you aggravation-wise with regards to repairs, it’s like mental torture… It’s a total mess.”
Mr Barry said mould issues in the flat feel as if they are ‘never-ending’. Mould in the couple’s bedroom became so prevalent in late 2022 that they resorted to sleeping on a camp bed and couch cushions in their living room.
The mould seen under the windows in the flat’s living room
(Image: Facundo Arrizabalaga/MyLondon)
The bedroom of the flat had works conducted by Greenwich Council in February 2023 to resolve the mould present. Despite this, Mrs Barry said the council mistakenly called her last month about a mould wash for the bedroom, instead of the living room, despite the works having been completed nearly two years ago.
Mrs Barry said: “I’m always on the phone to the council every other week… I’m fed up with it all. It just gets you down. They could get it all done in a week.”
A Greenwich Council spokesperson told the LDRS: “We are committed to ensuring residents have access to a safe and secure home that meets their needs. We work to address any concerns raised as quickly as possible; in this case external work was completed last October. While we acknowledge and apologise for some of the delays, we restarted internal work recently and expect to complete any outstanding issues shortly.”
The council has said that tenants should get in contact immediately if they suspect damp or mould by ringing 020 8921 8900. Damp and mould advice can also be found on the council website.
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