Oxfordshire family living in front room due to extent of mould

Andy Hall, his wife and four children moved into the house in Appleford, near Didcot, as tenants of Sovereign Housing Association four years ago.

The 40-year-old said the Main Road property was ‘brand spanking new and beautiful’ when the family moved in.

However, a year later the mould first appeared and has wreaked havoc with their lives ever since.

Mould surrounding a plug socket in the house

Mr Hall said the mould had taken about a year to appear and that while Sovereign had cleaned the walls, it had failed to tackle the root cause of the problem.

The housing association, which looks after 60,000 homes across the south, said it had installed fans in the property and carried out remedial work.

Mr Hall said: “The mould and structural integrity of the house is questionable.

“We’ve put in complaints to Sovereign and they’ve admitted it’s uninhabitable.

“I’ve got friends who are builders and they’ve written the house off.”

Since the beginning of November, Mr Hall said his family has taken up residence in the living room with the rest of the house too mouldy.

The extent of the mould in the bathroom

He said: “We’re confined to the living room as it has the least mould and we don’t want the kids in the other rooms.

“The mould is coming out the cupboards and onto food products – that’s how bad it is.

“We can’t keep living like this, we’ve lost so much money and we just want a home.

“I’m a workaholic but I’m struggling to get up in the morning and go to work, it’s having an effect on the kids too.”

Mould has spread to food products

Mr Hall’s latest complaint to Sovereign was lodged on November 21 and he says he has received more communication from the housing association since then, than he has in the previous three years.

Mr Hall said: “I’ve heard more from Sovereign in the last few days than I have for three years.

“The house needs a lot doing to it so we want to move for a better quality of life.”

Matthew Messenger, head of property operations at Sovereign, said: “The health and wellbeing of our residents is our top priority and we always try to rectify problems such as those experienced by Mr Hall where we can.

“We’ve already carried out some remedial repairs in the home including fitting new fans in the bathroom and kitchen, and we’re appointing a specialist surveyor to carry out a whole house survey to assist in identifying some of the issues raised.

“We will then be able to take the appropriate course of action.

“We understand this has been unsettling for the family and we’ll continue to offer support until the matter is resolved.”