Families who were promised a life of luxury in their apartments have instead found themselves living in homes plagued by mould and frequent flooding during rainstorms.
The residents of Earhart Apartments in Addlestone, Surrey have been pleading with Redrow Homes to fix the issues for the past 5 years, to no avail.
Although efforts were made to make the building watertight starting in January 2024, residents report that the problems have continued and show no signs of stopping.
Redrow acknowledges the residents’ frustrations and has expressed apologies for the delay in completing the necessary repairs.
Resident Rüdiger Dikty-Daudiyan told the BBC in a recent report: “They haven’t been able to solve the issue here for five years. We’ve had similar emails and promises before. It’s just not good enough.
“We have a mother raising a newborn in a home full of mould.
“It’s our first home and it’s just been a nightmare since the beginning. It’s a living hell.
“The top flat has been completely flooded two times and the people there have left.
“Whenever there is rain it comes from the top down and even comes down the staircases. It is just the smell of mould.”
This is not the first, nor will it be the last case of damp and mould in social housing across the UK.
In December 2023, the BBC also reported on the story of a 3-year-old boy from Middleton, Rochdale who had been hospitalised 7 times due to chronic breathing problems. His family believe were caused by mould in their property, which their landlord had failed to correct despite years of complaints.