Raging City of Edinburgh Council tenants took to the street outside the authority's offices demanding bosses fix problems in their property.
Natasha and Rory Blake protested outside the West Pilton bas on Friday after living with damp and mould in their Muirhouse property for five years.
They say it has exacerbated their children's health conditions and ruined some of their belongings. The pair explain that their nine-year-old has been experiencing worsening asthma, and their two-year old has a frequent cough and chest infections.
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Other visitors to the house, notably the children’s grandmother who has chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), report frequently struggling to breathe when inside and feeling a weight on her chest as soon as she walks in.
The couple first reported the dampness back in November 2017, only for a surveyor to come out and report that there was no problem with mould and damp. The couple then reported the issue again in November 2021 at which point a surveyor recommended that the property be repainted. Council officers promised to put in place an effective mould and damp strategy from June 2021.
However, while the painting of the property was complete at the start of this year, Natasha and Rory argue that the structural issue of rising dampness was not addressed and remains an ongoing health hazard.
Natasha and Rory say that in only committing to paint over the mould and not dealing with the issue that the property is structurally damp, the council has failed to take their concerns and the wellbeing of their children seriously.
Natasha, a Living Rent member, said: “The issue in our household is mould and dampness that the council are doing nothing about. We’ve previously had the dampness ‘treated’ and what I mean by that is they painted over the problem.
"It’s affecting us all. We all always seem to have coughs in this house and my step daughter who suffers asthma has had to get a dosage increase in her inhaler. I have tried to contact the housing officer but I’ve never ever received a response from him.
"My two-year old and I have just recovered from a very bad chesty cough and can only blame the dampness for this. The dampness and mould is in the kids' boxroom and has spread all over my son's mattress. This was the last straw for me. My son's life is potentially at risk. I will not allow my family to live in squalor anymore. The dampness has to go or we need to be rehoused!”
After five years of no action, Natasha and Rory reached out and joined their local branch of Living Rent in an attempt to put pressure on the council to take action to eradicate the mould and dampness.
The pair, alongside Living Rent, took outside Edinburgh City Council offices by dumping their mouldy belongings in the hope that the council will pay attention and provide them with a home that does not ‘threaten their children’s health’.
Caroline Cawley from Living Rent tenants’ union says: “Natasha and Rory’s case demonstrates the need for council’s, social housing providers and landlords to stop putting short term measures in place and take serious, concerted action to deal with the epidemic of mould in our housing.
"It's deplorable that The City of Edinburgh Council is forcing so many of its tenants to live in homes that are overrun with damp and mould. The Council needs to step up and provide adequate resources to solve these issues before more people get sick from their living conditions.
“We are in the worst cost of living crisis in generations with freezing temperatures outside tenants cannot just be told to ‘open the windows’. Over the last month we have seen the awful consequences of landlords blaming tenants for the structural issues and failing to take tenant’ concerns seriously in the death of Awaab Ishak.”
A council spokesperson said: “We’re very sorry that our tenants are facing these issues and we’re arranging for a survey to be carried out. This should identify the root causes of the dampness at the Blake family’s home, so that works can urgently be taken forward.”
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