A mum-of-four has been ordered to leave the Glasgow home she has lived in for over 10 years after she raised concerns about mould with her letting agency.
Pierette Tchialu and her four kids aged 20, 17, 14, and 10 are facing being evicted from their home, which is managed by Dennistoun-based letting agency 1-2 Let, in September.
Their three-bedroom home has been plagued with high levels of mould and dampness in areas including the bathroom and bedrooms since 2020 - an issue that was exacerbated by a lack of heating upstairs and vents in the windows.
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As well as the ceilings becoming caked in black mould and parts of the walls and ceiling flaking away, the bathroom floor is also beginning to cave in.
Housing action union Living Rent has been supporting the family resulting in the agency agreeing to install gas heaters and an extractor fan.
However, Pierette has been forced to replace the carpet out of her own pocket and has had to throw out clothes ruined by the damp living conditions.
The 46-year-old mum says that she attempted to contact 1-2-Let on numerous occasions but no one came to inspect the home or carry out repairs until very recently with the repairs being 'insufficient' for the state of the property.
Pierette said: “The conditions I have lived in with my family were inhuman. I have been in this house for eleven years, and until very recently 1-2-Let never came to fix the house.
"Me and my family, we’ve been living with mould, cold and damp since 2020. In 2021 I was complaining to 1-2-Let.
"The condition of my house affects my health, because I had covid in April and May 2020. Since then, I have suffered from symptoms of long covid and have had to spend long periods in bed.
"I was depressed. All of us have skin problems because of the condition of my house.
"The family home was cold and damp and overcrowded, the walls have been damaged badly by damp. After contacting the landlord various times, the support I received has been insufficient and very late.”
Living Rent says 1-2-Let has fitted an extractor fan in the bathroom and painted over the mould, but has taken no action to compensate Pierette, who is suffering from the effects of long covid. And after she raised the concerns, she was served with an eviction notice requiring her and her family to be out of the home by September.
On Saturday, the union protested outside 1-2-Let's Dennistoun offices, demanding it bring Pierette's home up to standard and cancels the eviction notice.
It had sought to negotiate with the letting agent on her behalf, but 1-2-Let has cut off communications after claiming the family "need[ed] to take more care when having showers or baths" to avoid a build-up of mould.
A Living Rent spokesperson said: "1-2-Let’s response to the letter sent by the union has shown the total contempt they have for our member. The fact that Pierrette and her children have been forced to live in unsafe housing for such a long period of time shows the sorry state of housing in Scotland at this time.
"They have a responsibility to provide safe and liveable housing and have consistently failed to do so. The union will continue to stand with Pierrette in demanding justice for her and her family.”
Living Rent claims reports of mould and damp in homes has risen 20% over the last year, while a Shelter Scotland survey in 2021 found 11% of adults had significant damp, mould or condensation issues in their home.
Pierette, meanwhile, hopes to secure social housing, but with a family of four has found herself stuck on the waiting list for years. Housing associations in the area say they have no four-bed accommodation that would allow the family to live comfortably.
Glasgow Live made attempts to contact 1-2-Let for comment. Calls to the firm's Dennistoun office went unanswered on Saturday.
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