Mouldy room, baby, staying with family

[LovingTealHedgehog]

I live with an elderly family member after my relationship broke down when I was pregnant. I have gone to the council before as we don’t get along with l this family member but they’re basically sided with her. They didn’t l help me at all. they close my claim and I’m still living here ever since I’ve lived here There’s been an issue with mould there’s mould in every single room for some reason it’s just coming back and now it’s spreading everywhere today I found on my daughter’s mattress and my daughter’s cot and I’ve got to somehow find a cheap and affordable travel cot today that I can’t really afford.
mould was already on the walls on the curtains on the windows on all my furniture on my bed on my mattress, et cetera
I suffer with asthma but I’m just so so so worried about my daughter. I don’t even know anymore because the council will not re house me just because of mould I didn’t mention the mould in the last claim
what should I do I’m trying to pull myself together but I can’t I have no one to talk to about this where do I go from here ?!

They can't close your claim

Go back and say you need housing

They did close it I appealed too and was rejected I’ve been drafting a letter to the mp

Phone Shelter or visit the Citizens Advice Bureau for help.
I also don't think your claim can just be shut, but you need specialist advice.

Go back and say it's dangerous your baby can't sleep in a mouldy room.

Get a letter from your GP or health visitor.

Is the house you are in rented from the council? If so, under awaabs law they are obliged to sort the mould out. This however may only work for a short time depending what the council do to fix it

No the family member I stay with owns it but we don’t get along hence why I made an application nearly a year ago and we came to an agreement that I could stay here until I find my own place however I was told I wasn’t gonna be able to afford private rent as I’m on universal credit at the moment and getting a small income from self-employment, but they discharged me saying that I hadn’t been helping myself basically because I haven’t been applying for private rent although I was applying for social housing which I’d only recently got access to but they told me I needed to work on increasing my income from self-employment which is exactly what I was doing and I was just getting there then they closed the claim saying that if since I’ve lived there for so long it is clearly suitable and their duty to help Me has ended as they didn’t think I faced homelessness within the next six months but they knew that anyway because the person I live with said I can stay until I find somewhere

However, now with the mould as well, I’m just extremely stressed I’ve managed to ask the person that I live with to swap rooms with Me because I think theirs is a little bit better but it doesn’t help because their room is still covered in mould as well

I can’t afford private rent I make maybe 700 a month from self employment and like I said they even said I can afford it

I think I’d do the following:

• go to Citizens Advice and say you need help with emergency housing as your current set up is dangerous.
• contact MP (like you have mentioned).
• contact GP or HV for supporting letter
• apply for a full time job
• consider whether child could stay with other parent short term?
• take multiple photos
• Get a letter from the relative you are living with stating they can no longer house you.

Good luck, it sounds awful.

Mould is caused by damp air, you need to heat and ventilate better. Open the windows for a good chunk of the day, it's getting warmer now so this will be easier. Wipe the mould down with vinegar or mould spray. Soak curtains in vinegar and water and then wash with bicarb. If you can afford it, get a dehumidifier to put on for a couple of hours in the evening, heat the room adequately. Wipe down any condensation on the windows first thing in the morning. Google how to kill mould on a mattress.

We live in a north facing, 50's damp house, this will solve your issues.

The most immediate thing you can do is clean all the mould, White vinegar is cheap and effective, or a mould spray. Keep cleaning it daily. Also, open your windows to let fresh air in and if possible leave a window slightly open overnight to stop the condensation forming , air the matress and bedding every day. I have my own home and have to deal with this issue every day - it is common in any insulated home not well-heated in the winter.

Thanks all, have just got a travel cot for now and will try sort things out! Although is it normal for a travel cot to touch the floor? Worried this will get mouldy too

In the short term - white vinegar, windows open lots and dehumidifier like others have said! Also plants! Spider plants are cheap (you can pick them up on fb marketplace), grow quickly and are great at absorbing moisture

Depends on the cot, most folding ones are about 10cm above and have feet, like https://www.boots.com/graco-contour-bassinet-travel-cot-pebble-10356903?traffic=paid.shopping&gclsrc=aw.ds&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=19973634862&gbraid=0AAAAA-AdmwTMb8J5EcLqYldzf2WvAIDxd&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI5qyz06-nkwMVWZZQBh27sACZEAQYASABEgIZwvD_BwE . Would council not pay towards a private rental? Does baby’s father contribute?

Father did contribute of course when we was together but we split a few months ago another depressing situation as he was an active and seemingly great dad but when we broke up he said he didn’t want to see her anymore and refused money too. I’ve had to purchase a cot now as she can climb out of this travel cot😖 and the stair gate I had on the other bedroom door doesn’t fit in this one!! So it’s all to dangerous
about private rent the council said they would when I was under them for potential homelessness but they said I can’t afford it? Which I never understood as I have seen many people who don’t work and on benefits but get there rent paid for
I am looking for a job but with a baby it’s hard
but I guess tomorrow I’ll be re contacting the council not exactly sure what to say maybe I now have unsafe living conditions?
all this stress has caused me a huge migraine!

Go through CMS, they can deduct from his pay or benefits if needs be.

He does cash only so no chance plus don’t know where he lives

If it were me I would try coating the mould in a strong solution of silver nitrate it is anti bacterial and anti fungal it can be bought on ebay. It stains black though

Are you cleaning the mould off? You can get spray for removing mould at B&Q. Do you leave windows open 2 or 3 times a day and heat it well? You can buy a dehumidifier which will suck damp out of room and prevent mould from forming. Mould only grows in damp conditions. If you do nothing it just spreads. You need to get rid of current mould with spray then use dehumidifier.

I would contact Shelter for advice and contact the council again and make sure that they know that

• you current place is mouldy
• you are living with a family member
• she wants you out

I would take it that normally the council would expect that someone living with family members was in a safe, clean environment with someone who was happy to have them and kept the place clean. In comparison to someone with a dodge private landlord anyway!

OP I’m so sorry for you and this is really difficult.

you need to be very careful about this. The council won’t do anything about the mould and tbh… it won’t help your housing case either.

speak to shelter. Ask them what needs to happen that allows you to leave the relatives house without making yourself intentionally homeless. Because you have a place to say and that’s all the council care about. You need to be homeless. So the big decision for you is when you leave relatives house and how you make sure you are genuinely homeless

can I asks why you can’t rent privately, paying the rent with the housing element of UC?

As pp have said this is a condensation problem. You need to open your windows and keep them open. Use the extractor fans when cooking and showering. Leave the windows open in those rooms for at least an hour following cooking or showering.
If drying clothes, a humidifier or open a window. Use central heating daily.
If excess water vapour is in the air it needs somewhere to go. If it can’t escape it will cause damp and mould. Clean the existing mould, follow steps above and you and your baby’s health will be better, good luck

Has the father of your baby moved? You should know where he lives. Or what about his parents, can they assist at all? Even if it’s shaming their son into paying. They could maybe help with money or childcare so you can work towards getting into rented accommodation. .