Welsh councils 'have failed to deal with damp, mouldy homes'

COUNCILS in Wales have significantly failed tenants complaining about damp and mould in their homes posing a serious health risk.

- TAITE JOHNSON

The public services ombudsman for Wales has found failings within Cardiff and Flintshire councils regarding multiple complaints from tenants about their living conditions.

Cardiff council has had to pay one tenant £3,000 in compensation after allowing her home to fall “into an appalling state of disrepair” despite numerous complaints.

The council had received complaints from the tenant, Ms C, over a period of nearly four years and her accommodation was eventually declared unfit for human habitation.

The ombudsman found the council was aware of the presence of damp and mould in the property in April 2021, with Ms C making multiple complaints of a significant leak causing damage to the kitchen ceiling.

The property's state “posed significant hazards to the health of Ms C and her family” and ruined many of their possessions.

Within less than three years, by March 2024 the house had “fallen into an appalling state of disrepair” and was formally declared unfit for human habitation in July 2024.

The council caused “further avoidable delays” in arranging necessary repairs after the family were moved from the property and they were left living in unsuitable conditions.

Ms C and her two daughters moved into a property with her elderly mother while waiting for a home fit to live in, with the ordeal having a “devastating impact” on them.

Michelle Morris, the ombudsman, said: “The service failures uncovered in our investigation had a devastating impact on Ms C and her family. The damp and mould posed significant hazards to the health of Ms C and her family, and damaged or destroyed many of the family's possessions.

“The despair of living in such poor conditions over a long period appeared to have contributed to the slow disintegration of the family unit to the point that all family members had moved out.