To clarify exactly what a council house looks like

[Lifegoeson5]

So many posts about council housing and 'benefit scroungers' getting 'free' housing.
I pay £150 a week for this...

Just to add as someone else mentioned about new building HA houses. There we a lot being built in areas near to me, in the towns and they are absolutely tiny inside. 3 bedrooms and all you can get in is a bed and a chest of drawers

Yanbu. From your pics it seems as though the la have failed to provide adequate insulation which is resulting in the mould growth and to all the patronising people advising her to simply clean properly, no amount of scrubbing will solve the issue. Mould is harmful to health especially if you have issues such as asthma and the council have a duty if care to ensure your home is healthy. With regards to the other issues such as exposed pipes etc they should be boxed in so that they are safe (they can scale when hot) and present a danger to young children. Reading through the "helpful" answers I sense a lot of people being incredibly snobby and belittling which in this day and age is unacceptable. Living in social housing isn't a stigma, not everyone can afford to get on the property ladder and it's disgraceful to look down on those whom do live there. All I'm getting from these types of helpful answers is you think you're better than the op because you don't live in a council house and that frankly, says more about your self worth than anything else. Life goes on, do you have a "care and repair" department that you can contact for a healthy home check? Anyone living in your borough can contact them and they will come out and assess your property for any insulation, repairs or adaptations required (free of charge). Good luck :)

From your pics it seems as though the la have failed to provide adequate insulation which is resulting in the mould growth and to all the patronising people advising her to simply clean properly, no amount of scrubbing will solve the issue.

Cleaning mould may not solve the issue but mould spreads and the OP is clearly not keeping on top of the cleaning and ventilating.

All I'm getting from these types of helpful answers is you think you're better than the op because you don't live in a council house and that frankly, says more about your self worth than anything else.

Did you only skim the thread? I ask because there are loads and loads of posters on it, who also live in council housing and have told the OP she needs to clean and ventilate.

That's not 'looking down their noses', that's common sense.

Posted by @YeTalkShiteHen last year

YeTalkShiteHen Mon 30-Jul-18 17:20:13
"Oh I forgot lawnmowers cost a lot too, so grass would be a challenge.

My friend who got her property because she was fleeing DV and is on benefits (no she’s not a bloody scrounger) was fined by our council twice because she hadn’t cut the grass because she can’t afford a fucking lawnmower! They fined her £125 each time and then charged £125 for the council to do it! So a £500 fine effectively because she was skint in the first place!

I bought her one because I’ve been where she is and it’s shit, really fucking shit. And being judged just makes it worse"

Helana, she could have asked a family friend, neighbour, posted on Facebook for a handyman, alternatively what my mother used to do was cut the grass with sheers.

You friend under her tenancy agreement took responsibility for her garden, and yes her circumstances are unfortunate but she signed the agreement.

Also to be fined twice, seasonally it would be 2 summers, you cannot expect councils to spend tax payers money to look after people’s home gardens

People are all for being up and arms when councils don’t keep to their own policies, however when they take action for their own polices that tenants have signed into an legal agreement with, then suddenly it’s apparently abhorrent!

Councils aren’t judging tenants they are enforcing the lawful agreement the tenant signed!

I've been in a council property for just over a year now. Clean when I moved in, clean now. Mould can happen in any property, not just council ones. Once you're in its your responsibility to keep it clean. Someone above mentioned the mold cleaner, I think HG? I've used that before and it's been very good.

I didnt actually post that Another MNer did on a very similar thread to this one.

I’m sorry OP but you can’t expect Buckingham palace when your getting subsidised housing . £600 per month for 7 of you to have a roof over your head. There’s people crying out for homes or on waiting lists.

I’m not denying it’s shoddy and the council need to step up and do a few repairs etc however if you don’t like it either privately tent or buy a home. That’s not me been snarky - it’s just genuine honestly if every council home was in great fantastic condition everyone wouldn’t bother buying or privately renting and want cheaper/ subsidises rates etc off the council.

Take some responsibility and do some repairs/ cleaning. Don’t dry washing in the house. Open the windows daily. De humidifier etc.

Apparently we should blast the heating and open windows to combat the mould....

I wanted to give some advice on this, as I see it quite a lot on here, and I think education and knowledge is key.

Most properties nowadays have double glazing windows, combination boilers, insulation and roofing repairs (due to previous government grants/schemes etc)...

Basically properties are air tight boxes with human and pet habitation.

Easy way to explain this is.... when you’re using your shower or bath... and your windows and doors are closed what happens?

Condensation is caused by water vapour or moisture in the air, inside the dwelling, naturally the vapour tries to escape, and naturally comes into contact with a colder surface of the room such as a window or wall... In doing this the drop in temperature causes water (condensation) to form on the surface.

This water may then soak into the wallpaper, paintwork, plasterwork and on fixed fittings

There is 2 things that a dwelling needs to “survive” which is heat (sun) and air (ventilation) now think of the brickwork outside a property and how the elements are brutal against the brickwork, the bricks get wet, and the sun dries the brickwork.... Most external buildings don’t have “mould and condensation” and the reason why is because the natural elements maintain the exposure of water vapour.

Now apply that logic to inside a property, then add how many people are living in the property, pets, cooking, bathing, and everything in between... and you don’t heat or ventilate the property adequately.... what do you think happens?

Mould spores form... the mould spreads, and you then get the classic pin point black “spores”

Best way to avoid mould is be sensible and be proactive, when bathing, open window, during or after use for 20-15 mins, when cooking open window, in the wonder months, ventilate property for 10-15 mins each day... to save heat do one room at a time, or the most affected areas, use a mould clearer which has a inbuilt deterrent.

All of the above is just basics, it’s logical and it’s common sense.

Of course their is other migrating circumstances (repair faults) however most “damp” cases are down to the tenants living conditions.

I didnt actually post that Another MNer did on a very similar thread to this one.

Yes however YOU brought it to this thread for some reason, hence me replying to you.

Everyone and their dog has issues going on in their own lives, we all wish there was a magical ball that someone will come along and take responsibility and also pay for those responsibilities.... yet the responsibility lies with the tenant (in this case) yet for some reason people expect councils to pick up their tenant responsibility and cost because they have an unfortunate history.

Simply and rightfully it does not work like that and budget constraints has to prioritise resources and a multiple of other multiple legal and compliance legislation.

I used to be a housing association tenant and I have also been a housing association board member. I am currently a landlord. Things to think about.

1. You can’t really expect landlords of any type to do every single small repair the moment you want it. It’s reasonable to attempt little jobs like touching up paintwork, occasionally replacing silicon, bleeding radiators from time to time and sometimes changing washers yourself, if you can and it’s straightforward. That way your home stays nice. Otherwise it’s reasonable to wait until they fit into the landlord’s normal repair cycle with things being done in a batch (unless they are real emergencies, of course).

1. The difference between tenants in identical homes that hang washing outside or who use a tumble dryer, use the kitchen extractor fan, put lids on boiling pots, and who air their homes daily is visually very obvious in terms of mould growth. If you are complaining about a mould (or peeling decoration) problem, make sure you’ve done all these things first and inform the landlord you have.

1. If you haven’t got a vacuum cleaner, lawn mower or whatever, either borrow one, ask on Freecycle or do the job manually. Yes, readers, I have been that person and trimmed the grass with borrowed shears and cleaned the carpet with a dustpan and brush. If you are supposed to keep a place nice, get on with it and stop assuming the grown ups will come around and do it for you.

End of lesson.