Edinburgh City Council tenant left with damp for just under seven years

A tenant of Edinburgh City Council has hit out at the local authority for their inability to address a myriad of issues that have plagued her property for almost seven years.

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Laura Rosa Wilson, 39, who is a council tenant in the Crewe Road area said that she has battled issues with damp since the day she moved in.

On top of this she says that the council has brushed her aside on a number of occasions saying that certain repairs like leaky radiators are ‘decorative.’

The mother of two who is studying bakery had said that she noticed the damp upon moving in just under seven years ago but was told that no such issue existed.

She said: “I have been in my current flat for almost seven years and on the day I viewed the property I pointed out water damage but was told it wasn't anything to worry about. A few months later we had heavy rain and a big bubble formed on this patch. This has happened on and off since then but now I have clear water damage on my ceiling. But a council inspector came to test the damp and said that there was none.

“However my neighbour on the other side of the wall had water pouring through her roof for months directly behind my damp patch.

Area impacted by damp within the home.

“I also have lots of repairs needing done to which I'm told they are decorative. This includes a disintegrating door frame, leaky radiators, water pressure problems, plaster falling off of my walls as well as major drainage issues in the property and that is just to name a few.”

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A council spokesperson said: “We apologise for any repairs and maintenance issues that have arisen in the past and still haven’t been resolved. We’ll always try to put things right when our response falls short of the service level our tenants expect.

“We will be in touch with Laura in due course to help with her repairs and reinstate the property to a standard that is acceptable.

Plaster coming off of the walls and has been described as a 'decorative' repair by the council.

“It's important that all tenants get in touch directly with us to report all repairs, particularly where there may be a health or safety risk to the tenant if the repair is not carried out.”

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