'Mum I don’t want to live in this house, I don't like living here'
19.02.2024 - 09:17
/ manchestereveningnews.co.uk
When young mum Phoebe Adamson first picked up the keys to her house in Hathershaw, Oldham, she was overjoyed to have a roof over her head after facing possible homelessness.
But her joy quickly faded when she claims a serious damp and mould problem started to blight her new home.
For several months, Phoebe alleges she has had to "battle" with her housing association about the recurrent mould, while she watched the health of her two daughters, Ivy-Rae, four, and nine-month old baby Isla-Mae, deteriorate.
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“My eldest daughter’s bedroom had so much damp at one point it became riddled with woodlice,” she said. “And my living room carpet has been soaked for 18 months. I don’t want to put my baby on there. There’s mould all around the house."
Since the tragic death of two-year-old Awaab Ishak in December 2020, the Manchester Evening News has been shining a spotlight on tenants who have been forced to live in uninhabitable accommodation. Awaab, who was described as ‘full of life’, was found to have died as a result of the mould in a Rochdale apartment owned by Rochdale Boroughwide Housing, who failed to make the necessary repairs that could have saved his life.
A Manchester Evening News campaign resulted in the creation of Awaab’s law in 2023. Landlords now must investigate emergency hazards like mould within two weeks and fix them within 21 days.
But even with the law in place, many residents like Phoebe claim they are still suffering from poor quality housing with persistent damp issues.
Phoebe, who has lived in the house for four years, said: “I find it disgusting. I’ve told them on multiple occasions that my kids are getting poorly from the