A single parent with a one-year-old son who lives in a one bedroom flat in Patchway said he has made complaints over issues of black mould, mice and a large gaps within the walls which has caused the property to become freezing in the winter. Will Marlow is now concerned about his baby’s health after hearing about another child in the block who has been diagnosed with asthma.
Bromford housing association who currently have scaffolding up on the building have been treating the mould spread throughout the property with paint. But Will, who has been renting with Bromford for over 10 years says that the paint is not a long term solution for the families who live in the block.
Will has put in his own insulation where there are large gaps in the walls. Now he lives with his son, they are overcrowded but he is concerned that all the nearby properties are owned by Bromford and does not want to continue to have a similar experience elsewhere.
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Will said: “I’ve complained countless times, I’ve sent loads of emails, calls, texts. When they do turn up they don’t bother to confirm and give 24 hours notice. I’m stressed, it affects my mental health, I just want to get out of here.”
Bromford associate director of localities Natalie Colfer said: “We’re sorry about the issues Mr Marlow has been experiencing with damp and mould in his flat and for the impact on him and his family. We have identified several pieces of work which will help resolve these issues.
“Before Christmas we put up scaffolding around the block to allow us to complete repairs to the roof and guttering which were completed on Monday. We are now arranging a convenient time with Mr Marlow to complete additional work inside his home.
“We are also scheduling work to resolve the other issues that have been raised at the block which will be completed shortly.”
The communal door has recently been broken and lighting has been damaged outside. There are also mice running through the drains and another tenant, Sian Bright said she had to previously remove a silverfish infestation which she believes was caused by the damp.
Sian, who lives on the ground floor of the block with her partner and two young children, says she no longer feels safe due to issues of disrepair and concerns over fire safety. When they moved in two years ago there were no locks on the windows and her son almost got out but she caught him in time but now they have to be opened with a key or don’t open at all.
Sian said: “My son’s bedroom windows don’t even open or close at all so if there was to be a fire in that end of the flat we wouldn’t be able to get out at all. None of the doors in the block are fire doors, they’re all made of cardboard so it’s just a big risk for all of us.
“No one can buzz our door to get in or out but anyone can enter. Our upstairs neighbours had stuff robbed from their pram, this has been going on since before Christmas.
“We’re paying for things like this to be fixed in our service charge. We’ve been paying for the block to be cleaned, we’ve been paying for the lights outside, window cleaning but nothing’s being done.”
“We’ve got no lighting out there now so it’s pitch black at night. I stopped working nights because I didn’t feel safe around the area.
“I spotted mice outside and we had an issue last year when we had maggots trailing up to the bins. It’s been an issue living here for the last two years.”
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