Blackpool mum's concern for her children as home has been "crawling in damp" for over a year

The 26-year-old mum of two says her home in Claremont has been “uninhabitable” since becoming a tenant in November 2021 and claims the property management company, Homequest, has failed to sort the problem.

Since living in the property, Lexi says there have been various other problems which have taken too long to fix but she is most concerned by the damp problem, which she fears will affect the health of her children, aged three and five.

Lexi, a housekeeper at the Strand Hotel, said: “When I first moved, the windows were all cracked wooden frames that weren't shutting properly, so it's only been in the past four months that they’ve actually had them done, and my bathroom floor was falling through, they only had that done in the past two months, but I've been here over a year now, and the damp has been here since the day I moved in. I'm a single mum with two babies, and it’s damaged everything I've worked for in the five years since I've had my little girl, the sofa, the curtains, all my kids’ stuff, we've lost everything in this house, it is just crawling in damp. I keep pleading with them, they just keep saying ‘I'll get somebody out’.”

After Lexi’s support worker raised concerns, environmental health came out to view the property last year, and a schedule of works was issued to Homequest. The company has installed new PVC windows, repaired the sky roof and done some rendering, but Lexi says this has not done enough, and over the winter the issue got worse.

Originally the mould and damp only affected the kitchen, lounge and playroom downstairs, but now it is present in the bedrooms upstairs, meaning all rooms in her house are affected.

Lexi added: “The main concern for me is the playroom, where all my children's toys are, it's got mould coming off the walls and I wash them weekly, and my little boy's room. He's got chronic asthma, there's damp crawling through the sides of his wall and I've stressed it to them but my son's asthma’s just getting worse and worse, he's only three.

“He was crying the other day because I pulled his bed out, and his Avengers pillow had fallen down the back and it had gone mouldy behind the back of his bed... It's just not a fair way for a child to live, and I've just been letting it go on.”

John Blackledge, Blackpool Council, Director of Community and Environmental Services, said: “We have been in contact through our housing enforcement officers with the homeowner, the landlord and the property management service to resolve any issues and a schedule of works was issued early last year.

“Work has been undertaken since that time including the installation of new PCV windows and repairs to a skylight to reduce damp issues along with other recommendations such as rendering. A further inspection [was] arranged towards the end of February to assess the situation.

“Following the visit on Saturday (February 25), the property was found not to be uninhabitable. Hostel provision would have been provided if the property had been classed as uninhabitable. The landlord has arranged for a damp specialist to attend the property on March 7 at 2pm and the tenant has confirmed acceptance of this appointment.”

Homequest has been approached for comment.

*All images were taken on February 14 2023.