Meet the Other Phone. Protection built in.

Meet the Other Phone.
Protection built in.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Money matters

Find financial and money-saving discussions including debt and pension chat on our Money forum. If you're looking for ways to make your money to go further, sign up to our Moneysaver emails here.

Can anyone please help who knows anything about damp, councils and council housing

8 replies

zephyrcat · 21/06/2007 10:37

I'm having a nightmare and don't know what to do next.

We had to move into council accommodation about a month ago. I'm 24 weeks pg and have a 5yo, just turned 3yo and a 1yo. Our maisonette is on the 3rd (top) floor. There is no lift.
There are storage room at garage level. I kept the double pram in there and it went completely mouldy from damp over 3/4 days in there without use.

I complained to the warden who told me that ther was a big fire years ago which damaged something in the building and they have never been able to control the damp in our shed since.

I also sent an email to the council complaints dept and made a claim for compensation for the pram.

The same warden since stopped me on the school run and sid he had cleaned the shed out and that there was now mould collecting on the excercise bike saddle so I needed to give it a wipe.

2 council 'repair' men came to damp proof the shed and told dp that there was nothing they could do and they would probably condemn it.

I have now had a letter from the housing manager saying that she visited the shed along with the warden, and that they found no damp in the shed, the walls were dry and that she 'fails to see how the pram accumulated mould from being in there' and has informed the compensation dept of this.

I don't know what to do next. DP says the pram is now practically alive - surely if the shed was dry then mould would dry out wouldn't it? Does anyone know anything about it that I can hit them back with?

I also need help to find out about implications of pigeon s**t on stair handrails [pu8ke emoticon], building regulations for lifts - ie should there be one? and also fire regulations. There are no designated fire escapes etc...

If you have got this far well done!!!

OP posts:
zephyrcat · 21/06/2007 13:24

bump

OP posts:
RnBee · 21/06/2007 13:28

goodness, sorry I have no idea about all this but hope someone can help.

I know pigeon shit can be toxic though

zephyrcat · 21/06/2007 19:49

I thought so too, I just can't seem to find anything factual that I can quote to them. I seem to have spent hours searching for fire regulations in a block, building regs for lifts (ie should we have one?) mould and pigeon shit!

I haven't got the energy!

OP posts:
RnBee · 22/06/2007 12:49

bumping for you x

1dilemma · 24/06/2007 01:24

Not aware of regs at all but we were in 3rd floor with no lift! It might depend on ow old building is though.

Tortington · 24/06/2007 01:55

you must get a copy of OFFICIAL complaints proceedure - it will have stage 1 stage two and stage 3 complaints

when they write back to you saying " i fail to see... passed it on"

you must chase it up and request by letter your complaint goes to a stage two.

MY HA recently send me a letter saying " your complaint is now closed" cheeky mother fuckers. even though my complaint about builders attitude had no tangable outcome i wanted to know what they had done if anything and to just say " now closed is bullshit man. any way.....

take to stae 3 guarentee will offer compensation.

if not you can go to housing ombudsman.

also ask about what council intend to do about pigeon shit as it causes " insert medical term from google"

keep with official and written complains process.

until gets to housing ombudsman.

follow official processes.

Tortington · 24/06/2007 01:57

e-mail local MP, councillor, newspaper, e-mail the director of the council, the manager of your housing officer.

let them know they are fucking witht he wrong person.

next time your repairs and complaints willbe taken seriously.

NannyL · 24/06/2007 09:40

i cant imagine their is any law or regulation stating that there has to be a lift.

Loads and laodsof buildings dont have them and you cant just 'fit' thm thats easily!

My best friend lives at the ground level of a 4 storey 2 year old block of flats. (moved in when new) (Housing association) they have no lift so those on the 4th floor (many with babies) have to do 4 levels of stairs and they have nowhere on the ground floor to store anyhting!

So i would count yourself lucky in that depratment....

the mould cant be good though and nor can the bird poo... i agree harrass the council following all their procedures to the letter....
maybe u culd leave omething old that u dont care about to go mouldy in there to show them how bad the problem is as thir clearly is a problem

New posts on this thread. Refresh page
Swipe left for the next trending thread