TWO KEY workers from Wokingham have had a miserable Christmas after discovering that their new-build flats were covered in mould.
Sofie Purser and Caitlin Rogers, who both moved into Beechey Place off William Heelas Way last summer, said that mould has spread across their homes, working its way into their beds, carpets and wardrobes.
Both women, who work in care and a nursery respectively, are concerned about the impact the mould is having on their babies.
In October, Ms Rogers’ six-month-old developed bronchitis while living in the mouldy apartment. Last week, he was diagnosed with Croup. At this point, Ms Rogers’ doctor wrote a letter calling for flat owners Sovereign Housing to permanently re-locate her family to a new home — one without mould.
“My little boy has eczema as well, so his immune system is weaker,” she said. “The doctor said I need to be moved as soon as possible.”
Located on the same floor as her neighbour, Ms Purser said that her 12-month-old baby has had a permanent cough and runny nose. She is now seeking medical help to understand if it is a symptom of living in the apartment.
The flats were built by David Wilson Homes and are managed by Sovereign Housing, and, as keyworkers, both women were recommended for the properties by the borough council.
“I pay £184 a week and £244 council tax to just live in mould,” Ms Purser said. “I do think key workers should be treated better. The borough council nominated me to Sovereign Housing to get this, and I don’t know what benefits we get out of it.
“It’s a lot of money to be living in all this mould.”
Christmas of mould
Ms Purser discovered the mould in her home on Sunday, December 19, but was told that nobody would be available to help her until Thursday, January 6.
Before Christmas, she had a brief visit from David Wilson Homes’ site manager.
“He said ‘you have to expect mould in a new build and because it’s winter’,” she said. “That’s unacceptable.
“I think that is disgraceful from Sovereign and David Wilson Homes. I have a baby and they expect me to live in mould.”
Across the corridor on Christmas Day, Ms Rogers said that she discovered mould covering the base of her baby’s crib. But this was not the first time damp had been an issue in her home.
“It ruined our Christmas when we found that,” she said. “I bought him a new crib, but I am so scared that it will go mouldy again.”
After giving up hope of help before Christmas, Ms Purser said that she washed away the mould with assistance from her partner. But it returned within days.
“After packing up the Christmas tree, I lifted up the rug in the lounge and underneath it was soaking wet,” she said.
Ms Purser said that she dried off the floor and washed away mould spots that were also developing under the sofa.
“I think there is a serious issue here,” she said, “and it feels like nobody wants to help.”
Ongoing issue
In August, Ms Rogers had a team come out to look at the mould in her bathroom. They suggested washing it off with a chemical solution, but when she asked whether it was safe for her five-week-old baby to be around, she said she was told that it wasn’t.
After this incident, her partner discovered that the overflow pipe in her bath was not properly attached, with water collecting under the tub.
She now keeps the bathroom extractor fan on continuously, in a bid to help with the flat’ ventilation.
“We only have two windows in the flat that you can open,” she said. “I spent my maternity leave scrubbing my flat. The bleach is making my hands so sore.”
Ms Rogers said that she was given a dehumidifier by Sovereign when she first discovered mould, back in August last year.
She leaves it running throughout the day, and said a days-worth of water would fill 10 to 14 kettles.
“They have still not refunded my electric bill for that,” she said.
Ms Purser said that her windows are always “soaking wet” in the morning, with her voile curtains “filled with mould”, and does not want to be “fobbed off” with a dehumidifier. Instead, she is looking for a more permanent solution.
She was due to receive a dehumidifier from Sovereign before Christmas, but said that she was not told when it would be delivered.
After leaving her home to finish Christmas shopping, Ms Purser said that she was called by a member of the team trying to deliver it.
When asked if they could leave it with a neighbour, Ms Purser said she was told this wouldn’t be possible.
Instead, she has been using a small machine lent by her Father.
“It’s collecting so much water,” she said. “If I leave it on for the day, it’s full.”
Ms Purser said that both her and Ms Rogers are dealing with individual members of the Sovereign Housing team, and said it feels like going around in circles.
“I’m hunting for mould everyday now, and I shouldn’t have to live like that,” Ms Purser said.
Ms Rogers said that in her apartment, mould is spreading on two of the bedroom walls.
“We had someone come out on Thursday, December 30, to look at it and take readings — they confirmed the walls are damp,” Ms Rogers said.
“I’ll be glad to get out of here,” she said. “It’s awful. All of our stuff has been ruined. We are having to sleep on a damp mattress because we cannot buy another. We spent all of our savings to live here.”
Ms Rogers said that she has asked for compensation to cover the damage to her furnishings and belongings, but said she was told to “wash her clothes” to remove the mould.
“It’s in the wardrobe,” she said. “Really, they need to refund me all of the money for my furniture.”
James Gibson, development director for Sovereign, said that he is sorry that customers are experiencing problems with the ventilation in their properties.
“Our customers’ safety and comfort in their homes is our highest priority and so we’ve set up dehumidifiers, as well as offering alternative temporary accommodation to one household while we tackle the issue,” he said.
Ms Rogers said that she was offered a temporary place to stay in Newbury, but was concerned about living on “someone else’s” furniture due to Covid-19, so chose not to to move.
She was also worried about the impact it would have on her baby, and felt uncomfortable leaving her family’s first home without a permanent solution.
“This is our home,” she said. “But the building is always going to be damp.”
Ms Purser questioned why she was not offered temporary accommodation, and said that she was really frustrated that not all residents were offered the same support.
She called for a permanent fix to the problem.
“We are working closely with the developer David Wilson Homes to try and resolve the problems that have been reported,” Mr Gibson said.
A spokesperson for David Wilson Homes Southern said: “We are sorry there is some damp in one of the buildings owned by Sovereign Housing on our Montague Park development.
“As soon as we were made aware of the problem our customer care and technical teams began a thorough review to identify the cause so we can put things right.
“Plumbers are attending to search for any minor leaks and de-humidifiers are being delivered while investigations are taking place.
“As a five-star housebuilder we are working closely with Sovereign Housing to look after the three residents affected and resolve this issue as quickly as possible.”
