Recently, many residents in Sunderland and Washington have been battling severe black mould and damp issues in their homes, which are managed by Gentoo. These conditions have reportedly led to deteriorating health among tenants, as repeated complaints to Gentoo have fallen on deaf ears.
Health organisations have raised alarms about the serious risks posed by black mould spores. Tenants like Stuart Ivison and Robert Fuller have shared their distressing experiences. Ivison describes areas of his home being overtaken by mould, making parts of it unusable. “I can leave the house, [I’m] perfectly fine outside, but once I come back in, within 10 minutes I have a blocked nose [and] can feel an itch at the back of my throat,” he told the BBC. Despite Gentoo’s advice to open windows to prevent mould growth, Ivison says this has been ineffective.
Robert Fuller, who lives in Sunderland’s Mill Hill, faces similar issues, compounded by poor insulation. He sleeps with multiple duvets and an electric heater due to the cold air in his home. His rheumatoid arthritis has worsened since moving in. “I have three quilts on top of my bed, an 18-tog, 16-tog and another one on top of that, I also have to have an electric heater on at night. It’s awful,” he said.
The frustration among tenants is palpable. More than 3,000 people have joined a social media group to share their grievances, and a petition has been started to strip Gentoo of its contract. Despite these efforts, Gentoo plans to raise rents by up to 7.7%, citing rising maintenance costs.
Gentoo’s chief executive, Louise Bassett, has apologised for the issues and promised to address them. She stated, “Our customers deserve the best standards of service from Gentoo and in this situation we have not got things right.” The company has pledged to install a new kitchen in Ivison’s home and to repair Fuller’s insulation problems, but tenants remain unconvinced.
The broader issue of damp and mould in social housing is not unique to Gentoo. Former Housing Secretary Michael Gove introduced new legislation, known as Awaab’s Law, to ensure timely repairs by social housing landlords. This law is named after Awaab Ishak, a toddler who tragically died due to prolonged exposure to mould in his home. The legislation aims to prevent such tragedies by mandating prompt action on repair requests by council and social housing landlords.
John Hume, chief executive of the People’s Health Trust, emphasised the urgent need for enforcement of these laws. “Millions of people across England face damp and mould, causing a myriad of physical and mental health problems,” he said. The Regulator of Social Housing (RSH) has also stressed the importance of landlords providing safe and decent homes, urging them to listen to tenants’ complaints and act promptly.
It is vital for tenants to have their voices heard and their living conditions improved. The situation in Sunderland and Washington highlights a pressing need for accountability and action in the social housing sector. For the original article, visit the BBC News.
By sharing these stories, we hope to shed light on the urgent need for better living conditions and the importance of holding housing associations accountable for their tenants’ well-being.