A distressed family say that they are forced to live out of bags and boxes due to a mould infestation affecting every room of their flat.
Zoe Smith has been living alongside her teenage daughter Ellie Bromley, 17, and her disabled partner in the privately rented property since December 2021.
They say that the mould has got so bad in the Grimsby home, it has spread to cupboards and wardrobes, leaving them living out of their boxes.
The family claim they have tried to fix the problems but say that they are endless, Grimsby Live reports.
Zoe said: "We moved into the property in December last year and everything was alright to start with. However, a few months later, we started to notice a number of issues.
"The ceiling wallpaper began ripping and we started to see black mould in the kitchen and behind the wallpaper in the other rooms.
"The mould is in every room in the flat and we've all been poorly as a result of it. Both my partner and daughter suffer from asthma and the mould has really affected them. Every time I cough it hurts my chest now and I wonder if that might be because of all the mould."
Zoe says she's tried cleaning the walls and painting over it, but it keeps coming through. She claims it is impacting the family's mental health.
Zoe said: "I don't like having friends round and my mum has never even been round. I feel disgusting in my own home.
"It upsets us all a lot, but we're stuck here at the minute, we're just trying to find somewhere else to live so we can get away. It's especially bad for my daughter, she doesn't need this.
"We pay £375 a month in rent normally, but haven't done so the past two months because of the issues we've been having. It's not worth that with the state it's in at all.
"My partner is also struggling as he is autistic and doesn't always understand what's going on so it's been really difficult for all of us."
Ellie, 17, said the mould has ruined her bedroom. She said: "It's not nice to see your home like this and I've lost all my wardrobes so I'm just living out of bags, I've never been this poorly in my life."
Due to her ill health, Zoe has also been unable to look after her disabled mother. She said: "I'm a carer for my mum, but I daren't go and see her because of how ill I am, I don't want her to become ill too. We just wished we'd never moved in if I'm honest, no one should have to live like this."
Since not paying her rent, Zoe has been dealt two eviction notices.
The landlord has said the property does not have condensation or mould problems and claims it did not so when the property was bought and rented to previous tenants.
They say it is purpose-built with a damp course, windows have trickle vents and an extra vent and extraction fan was provided in the bathroom.
They claim the one-bedroom flat is being occupied by four people and a dog and clothes are being dried on a clothes horse and wall heater with no ventilation.
They claim the tenants 'refuse to ventilate' the property and have covered air vents. They say the tenants have been sent a tenant guide on mould and condensation to assist them.
They said the agent was instructed to send a contractor out to clean the mould and repaint, which they did. The landlord added rent has not been paid for two months and the process for eviction has started.
The tenants dispute these claims and say they have not refused to ventilate the property, they did not receive a tenant guide on mould and claim no one has been sent out to clean and repaint the flat.
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