A Paisley woman says she is being forced to sleep on her living room floor as the damp in her home is so severe it’s making her ill.
Rebecca McCallum claims she has been left struggling to breathe as mould and mildew have taken over her Foxbar flat.
The 22-year-old – who has a rare autoinflammatory condition – has been battling the damp for more than a year, and says the situation has become so bad her family and friends are now becoming concerned for her welfare.
She insists the ongoing issue has left her thousands of pounds out of pocket due to mould destroying her clothes and furniture.
She is now living in just one room of the property in Hollows Avenue in a desperate bid to save her belongings and prevent her health from getting worse.
Rebecca even says she is being forced to live off canned food and keep her clothes in bin bags due to the dampness.
“I’ve completely given up,” said Rebecca. "I have moved into my living room and I am sleeping on the floor with my dog due to the damp and mould in the bedroom.
“I’ve shown the council how bad it is and asked to be moved but, according to them, I’m not high priority. I just feel like I am being ignored.”
Rebecca suffers from a rare condition called Behçet’s disease, which impacts her immune system. Since moving into the flat over a year ago, she says she is more exhausted and ill, with her loved ones commenting on her deteriorating health.
She says she has had repeated visits from Renfrewshire Council housing inspectors but, so far, no action has been taken since she first reported the issue more than a year ago.
Rebecca added: “All I’ve had is an inspector out who suggested having it plastered or painted over. I have phoned up every other week asking for it to be sorted and I’m always being told someone will phone or email me, but I don’t hear back and all they have sent out is painters to paint over it.
“My bedroom is so bad and I should have moved out of there earlier than I did, but I thought it would have been fixed before now.
“Last year when I was staying in my room I had to have my window wide open in the middle of winter and sit with my face under my duvet because the air wasn’t breathable.
“The house would sweat at night and it would smell rotten. My dog has also had to be put on steroids because his breathing has been affected and the vet can’t find the cause of the illness, so I can only think of one thing that’s caused that.
“I am devastated for him as it isn’t fair on him to be suffering like this. I have also honestly never felt so unwell compared to now and it is a point that me and my family have all agreed on.”
A spokesman from Renfrewshire Council said: “Our rot-work contractor has done an assessment of the property. The assessment highlighted that some repairs were needed in one of the bedrooms, along with some external work.
“The contractor has contacted the tenant and will be making arrangements to start the internal work next week. The external work is also being moved forward.
“We are continuing to do all we can to tackle damp and mould and we recently reviewed our approach. This includes inspections using damp meters, identifying the root cause of the issues and doing any repairs that are needed to address them.
“We are also working proactively to identify potential issues before they become a problem by installing equipment which measures temperature and humidity levels.
“We are also providing support to tenants with help and advice on tackling fuel poverty and combating damp.”
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