Stressed Eltham mum’s council house with roof ‘falling apart’

Vicky Armstrong, 40, has lived in her house in Eltham, Greenwich, for eight years.

The mum-of-two said that about a year after moving into the house, she started noticing “little spots” on the walls of her home.

She told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “I just kept cleaning and cleaning and then the hallway and my bedroom was getting into a bad state, so I called the council up and then they started coming and doing their washes.”

Vicky Armstrong, 40, shown in front of the mould in her kitchen in her home

Ms Armstrong said the council now does a mould wash of the house every winter.

However, she said that since October last year the tiles and guttering have started falling off the roof of the house.

She said: “My guttering and tiles are falling off and they keep telling me someone’s going to come out but I keep calling and calling… I called them out for an emergency to make it safe.

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"The gentleman came and they only had a box standard ladder and said it’s unsafe for them to go up and make it safe. I thought that’s a bit ironic.”

The mum said she is worried the missing tiles may be affecting the damp and mould issue in her home.

She said the previous owners of the house removed a section of insulation from the attic, leaving the inside of the house directly exposed to the roof tiles.

She said: “When you look, you can just see the tiles straight away, and you can hear and see the sun shining through. You can literally see each slat of the tiles of the roofing.

Mould seen behind the wallpaper of Ms Armstrong’s home

"If more tiles fall off, it will be bare completely, I will see the outside world.”

Aside from the issue with her roof, Ms Armstrong said she has been regularly contacting the council for the past five years regarding the damp in her home.

She said that council officers come to check her property on an annual basis before arranging a mould wash.

Ms Armstrong said: “I’ve had regular tenancy officers throughout the years come round and do checks to make sure that I am doing my job.

"That I’m not leaving washing everywhere and making the place wet, not looking after it.”

She added: “I have a dehumidifier. It’s normally running constantly. But because today’s nice I’ll switch it off.

"As you can see, all the windows are open. I do try and do as much as I can but there’s only so much I can do. I feel at the end.”

Ms Armstrong said dealing with the mould in her children’s room has been “stressful”.

White and black mould seen in Ms Armstrong’s children’s room

The mum said that after seeing “white, foamy mould” on the wall above her son’s pillow, she started making him sleep at the other end of the mattress.

She said: “I never stop, I don’t feel relaxed. It’s always on my brain. I have my son in the winters complaining that his breathing gets bad… He has to sleep this end at night because I can’t have him there. In the summer, it’s not that bad. In the winter, it’s every week that I’m washing the wall.”

The mum said that since February, red patches have started appearing around her son’s eyes every few days.

She said she took him to the doctor after the issue started as she worried it may have been due to the state of his bedroom.

She said: “It’s an allergy they’ve said because it only happens when he’s in the house. It doesn’t happen at school or anywhere else, I’ve asked everywhere… He’s very upset and because it hurts, it’s scratchy. Then he starts crying and that doesn’t help it.”

Black mould as seen in Ms Armstrong’s bedroom

The mum said she is still waiting to hear back from the council on her roof and mould issues.

She said that despite painting her walls with special mould paint after they are cleaned, the damp returns as soon as two days later.

Ms Armstrong said: “I can’t say if it’s the roof falling apart, or us being overcrowded, I’m not the person to make that call. All I can say is I’ve done everything in my power and financially to try.”

She added: “[It’s] depressing. I feel like it’s a losing battle, I don’t feel like I’m getting anywhere with it. And I understand some of it is your own responsibility to look after your own properties, but I have. I’ve bought the right paint. I’ve got the dehumidifiers, what else more?”

A Greenwich Council spokesperson told the LDRS: “We know that damp and mould is a big concern for our tenants and leaseholders, and it’s something that we take extremely seriously. We have addressed concerns raised by Ms Armstrong since she first made us aware of mould in her home, last October, and understand the impact this has had on her and her family.”

The spokesperson said that the white foam in Ms Armstrong’s home had not been brought to the council’s attention, and that the issue was being investigated. They said repairs had been carried out to the mum’s roof, and further work was scheduled to be done.

They added: “Across our Council homes we are inspecting all the cases of damp and mould reported to us, quickly carrying out an anti-mould wash, and then investigating what longer-term action can be taken – in Ms Armstrong’s case we will be improving her homes insulation.

“We encourage residents to take simple steps including opening windows regularly to reduce condensation and prevent damp and mould. Condensation is caused by moisture in the air that builds up from doing everyday things – like boiling the kettle and drying washing indoors.

"Even in the colder weather we recommend that tenants keep the heating on a low setting where possible and open windows periodically so air can flow through their homes. If tenants suspect damp or mould, they should contact us immediately.”

The spokesperson said council tenants can contact their income officer for support claiming benefits or if they are struggling financially. They said details are on the tenants’ rent statement.