Karina Lowe-Hogan opens a kitchen cupboard. She pulls out a box of teabags.
It's kept inside a small plastic bag and sits next to the dried pasta, which is double-bagged. "I've got to put all my [food] stuff in plastic bags because it goes mouldy," she explains.
It's the reality that Karina has faced since moving into the Tameside flat which she rents from housing association Jigsaw Homes. She moved into the one-bedroom flat in February 2020 and says problems with damp and mould began around two months later.
READ MORE: Join the FREE Manchester Evening News WhatsApp community
Her GP believes mould is affecting her health, while Karina says her dog's vet suggested it could have been a factor when the seven-month-old French bulldog, named Kobe, was treated for pneumonia. "I've got nowhere else to go," Karina said.
"I've said to my sister it's at the point where I would rather just end the tenancy and have nowhere to stay. That sounds more ideal than living here."
Karina says her mental health has taken a hit after 'constantly complaining' to Jigsaw about mould. The housing association says it has tried to access her property to carry out repairs.
The issue affects every room in Karina's home. Black spots of mould and brown damp marks surround the inside of her front door, while the floorboards in her hallway appear damaged by moisture.
Downpours hit Hyde on the April afternoon the Manchester Evening News visited Karina's estate. The 23-year-old believes her home struggles to cope with the weather, and she's not alone.
Other tenants the M.E.N. spoke to on the estate believed water was seeping into the walls from outside and leading to harmful mould in their homes. Karina said: "When it rains really heavy it's like a tap, it just comes through."
Landlords have come under the spotlight for how they deal with damp and mould following the tragic death of two-year-old Awaab Ishak in Rochdale. His inquest ruled that prolonged exposure to mould led to the medical condition that caused his death.
The campaign for Awaab's Law, giving social landlords timeframes to inspect and repair damp and mould, is on the verge of victory - and calls are growing for the upcoming law change to be extended to private landlords. Since Awaab, a second death in Greater Manchester has been provisionally linked to mouldy accommodation, with Luke Brooks' inquest set to take place in August.
Karina says her living situation is affecting both her physical and mental health. She has had issues with her chest, has attended A&E with a severe cough, and suffers rashes on her skin.
A letter from her GP, to be passed onto Jigsaw, says Karina 'does in fact need to move'. Mould surrounds the windows in each room of her property.
In the bathroom, a new extractor fan was put in place last year, but Karina says no one has returned to wire it up. The bathroom window can't be opened either.
Karina said: "I was ringing [Jigsaw], constantly complaining, but it's been left." There was visible mould above her window and toilet when the M.E.N. visited, but Karina insisted it had looked worse before her dad decorated the room in January.
As Karina showed the M.E.N. the black mould that surrounds her kitchen window, her blinds fell down. But the situation is worse in her cupboards, with one at the corner left unusable because of the issue.
As well as putting extra plastic bags on top of her packaged foods, Karina says has to wash her dishes again before every use after pulling them out of the cupboard. "They stink," she said.
Mould is so bad in her bedroom that Karina now sleeps in the living room, while her shoes become 'wet through' if left in the room. "[The bedroom] was re-plastered," she said.
"They had a surveyor out, and they said it would never come back through. This is the second bed I've had since living here, I've had to change the drawers because my clothes got mouldy in there."
Karina counts the cost of replacing items due to mould, such as furniture and clothing, at around £4,000. Alongside the extra expense of washing dishes twice and using extra bags for her food, it's far from ideal in a cost of living crisis.
Karina said: "[Jigsaw] just sent me a leaflet saying open a window, use mould-killing spray. They've been saying that to me since I first moved in here and started complaining.
"I think I've gone a bit in on myself because I've been complaining for so many years and they don't do anything. It's like I'm not being heard."
Karina believes her home is particularly affected by damp and mould because of its position at the end of her block of flats. The M.E.N. spoke to other tenants on the estate, including two who live at the end of their blocks.
Both wished to remain anonymous, but showed where mould had been affected their properties. One man showed items which were covered in mould and needed replacing.
The other tenant, a mum-of-three, showed the M.E.N. mould in the corner of her boys' bedroom and in her bathroom. The mum, who works as a cleaner, said: "I clean it at least once a week. It just gets mouldy and gammy.
"We keep our windows open even in the winter to ventilate. It's just minging."
Damp issues at the property came to a head four years ago, when her flooring and walls were 'wet through', and a corner sofa in the living room was trashed by mould. She says she was told mould at her home was due to her children having 'too many toys' in the room and her sofa being next to the wall, but she insists the skirting board meant there was a gap. Works were eventually carried out in her living room at the time, but she says problems still persist.
Back at Karina's home, the situation with mould has left her feeling isolated and ashamed of her own home.
"I worry people think I'm an unhygienic person or untidy because of the state of the flat," Karina said. "It's just horrible."
Mould near her living room window leaves Karina feeling too embarrassed to open her curtains when people come round. She believes damp permeating her phone socket has led to her troublesome internet connection, while her sofa is one of the many items she had to replace due to mould.
Karina doesn't allow her three-year-old brother with asthma to visit because of the mould. As the M.E.N. saw the flat, Karina's 16-year-old sister was visiting the property, where she coughed every few minutes.
"I get it where my chest will get really tight," she remarked. "You can feel it in the back of your nose and in the back of your throat."
A spokesperson for Jigsaw Homes Group said: “Our residents’ safety and heath is our priority and we are sorry that Miss Lowe-Hogan has experienced difficulties with her home. We have been working with Miss Lowe-Hogan since she first reported the issues and have been attempting to undertake some repairs to improve issues around condensation.
“We contacted Miss Lowe-Hogan twice last week to try and re-book an appointment but unfortunately access has not been made available. We would urge any residents to remain in contact with us, and allow us into their homes to carry out work even if they have made formal complaints.”
READ NEXT:
