Edinburgh City Council apologises to family stuck in mould-infested flat with no hot water and heating

A distraught mother from Clovenstone has slammed the council for leaving her family in “unlivable” conditions for six years.

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Shocking pictures show damp rooms covered in black mould, a spokesperson from the council say this falls short of the service standard they aim to provide.

Dampness and mould have been long-running problems at Kim Allan’s Clovenstone Gardens home, which she shares with her partner Joe Harding, 30 and her three children Olivia four, Lily, 10 and Casey, 12.

Kim Allan said the Clovenstone Gardens' property is unlivable.

Ms Allan, 33, has to buy a new shower curtain every three weeks and change bathroom sponges every few days due to the ongoing problem of mould.

Already struggling to live in the mouldy property the family were dealt another blow when the council turned their boiler off on August 5 to carry out safety tests, leaving them without heating or hot water.

The council failed to complete safety tests and the property was left for over eight weeks without hot water or heating.

The boiler was switched back on by the council after Ms Allan’s four-year-old daughter, Olivia, fell ill and her teacher phoned to complain about the family's living situation.

Mould covers the walls and ceilings.

“My youngest was sent home from school with a cold, we have all been feeling ill because of living without hot water or heating for eight weeks,” said Ms Allan.

“Olivia’s teacher phoned the council and they came out a few days later to fix the boiler but I'd been phoning for over eight weeks and nobody had got back to me.

“It was an absolute joke, there was no care given.”

Nobody should have to live like this

Ms Allan went on to say she and her partner pay full rent, work very hard and deserve to be able to provide their family with a nice home.

She said: “My partner and I both work really hard to have a nice home for our family.

“We kept it clean and tidy and did a lot of work redecorating it.

“I loved this house when we moved in but now I hate it, no matter when we do there is dampness. We pay full rent and work hard, nobody should have to live like this.”

We have to apologise

The council has apologised to the family saying they always aim to deliver the best service to tenants but accept that they have fallen short of the mark this time.

A member of the council's housing team has been in contact with Ms Allan to arrange repairs at the property.

A Edinburgh City Council spokesperson said: “Getting our repairs service right for tenants is an absolute priority and we have to apologise for the time it has taken to resolve this issue. It falls short of the service standards we aim to provide.

“We want to deliver the absolute best service that we can for tenants. That means making sure that our processes are working well, and that where there are issues we resolve them as quickly as possible.

“We have contacted Kim to help with her repairs and reinstate the property to a standard that is acceptable.”

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