‘It's unlivable’: Edinburgh man says mouldy and damp-ridden council flat puts family at risk
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An Edinburgh man has been living with damp and mould for three years after a flood in the flat above his
David Douglas of Stenhouse Drive has been living with mould and damp for three years in a kitchen described as “unlivable”. He has been left in a back and forth between council officers and the private landlord who owns the flat above, as he seeks to have the problem addressed “once and for all”.
Mr Douglas said: “I’ve basically been left with a kitchen that is unlivable. There are still spotlights hanging from the ceiling. The council came and put a temporary light in and they were meant to come back and put a ceiling light in the middle, that hasn’t been done. That was a year after. Since then I’ve been getting constant leaks.”
“There’s been mould in the cupboards. They came out and patched the ceiling where they thought the leak was coming from. That plaster hasn’t dried and that’s been over a year now. More recently the upstairs neighbour got a plumber out. They turned around and said they couldn’t find the leak at all.
“My housing officer came out and he found the leak. The leak is meant to have been fixed, but I’ve had other people out, like building surveyors and they’re saying it’s not fixed so they can’t do any work in the kitchen.”
Mr Douglas said that his children, including his asthmatic 14-year-old daughter, are unable to use the kitchen in its current condition. He said the conditions have exacerbated health problems for both him and his daughter.
Mr Douglas said: “It’s been an absolute nightmare. My kids don’t go into the kitchen that much. My daughter suffers really badly from asthma as well. She’s been in and out of hospital quite regularly.
“I’ve also been getting pains in my shoulder for quite a while and I’ve realised that mould can cause skeletal pain as well. Obviously, I’m in the kitchen the majority of the time cooking, doing the dishes.”
Mr Douglas is looking for a resolution to the problems that have been ongoing for three years.
He said: “I just want them to fix my kitchen and obviously push the landlord upstairs to actually get the problem fixed and just get it all sorted once and for all.”
City of Edinburgh Council told the Edinburgh Evening News that they have sourced and repaired the leak and that work will be undertaken in Mr Douglas’ kitchen in due course.
A spokesperson said: “The source of the leak has been identified and repaired, and remedial works are planned on the tenant’s kitchen.”