Woman sleeps on mattress in living room every night as family home riddled with mould and damp

A woman has said she is terrified of getting sick if she sleeps in her bedroom because there’s mould on the walls and ceiling.

Every night, Amanda Allison places a mattress in the centre of the living room of the house she lives in with her mum and dad.

The Allisons, from Drumchapel, are one of many families suffering across Scotland because not enough affordable homes are being built for people desperately in need.

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Every night, Amanda Allison places a mattress in the centre of the living room. STV News

This week, their landlord started another round of repair works on the roof and to combat the mould.

However, the family said they still want to move.

Amanda told STV News she resorted to covering her belongings as she is scared of the mould spreading and potential water damage.

She also claims her health has worsened significantly since living in the property.

Amanda Allison told STV News she resorted to covering her belongings as she is scared of the mould spreading and potential water damage. STV News

“If I go into my bedroom I’m coughing constantly,” Amanda told STV News.

“Even if I go in there to get clothes out in the morning, I need to put a mask on to go in. I’m scared the more I breathe in, the more I’ll get unwell and it’s just horrible.”

Candles burn all-day long to mask the smell of damp and mould. The family also regularly replace their pots and pans in a bid to prevent mould from repeatedly growing back in their cupboards.

Amanda’s dad Billy uses a wheelchair but he feels the house isn’t suitable for his needs.

He told STV News: “I’m angry about this. Nobody should be living like this in the 21st century. If I want to get something from the cupboard, I have to stretch to get it or get my wife to help me.

“I don’t want to be in this home anymore. No one is listening to us.”

Kingsridge Cleddans Housing Association said it has installed an environmental monitor and that the property is built to meet wheelchair access standards.

A spokesperson told STV News: “We have been active with the family on numerous occasions with a total of eight independent surveys having been undertaken in the property since 2015 all confirming the issues as being condensation related.

“The property is free from rising and penetrating damp. On each occasion we have responded to the actions recommended by the surveyors.

“We have also advised the tenant on numerous occasions as to the steps they can take to help manage the levels of condensation formation in their home.

“We are also installing an environmental monitoring system into the home to help with this management process, as well as applying fungicidal wash and repainting the ceilings and mould affected areas.”

Lack of good quality, affordable homes

Historically, well-built social housing was a way to provide people with good quality, affordable homes.

But demand now far outstrips supply, with one in 20 people on a waiting list for a social house.

Building work on some 6,302 affordable homes got under way in Scotland last year. That’s down by almost a quarter (24%) and the lowest number since 2015.

Private sector builders are on shaky financial foundations. Major player Stewart Milne Homes fell into administration this year, causing industry-wide concern for the future of building new homes.

That future could include more homes being partially pre-built in a factory. Construction experts say they are confident this will result in higher quality homes, built on time and at cost.

David Wylie, managing director of The CCG Group, a construction and manufacturing company, told STV News: “We’re doing what people normally do on site in the factory.

“We can keep better control over every part of the process. the other benefit of what we do is time. Because we’re doing more within the factory, we’ve got less time on site.

“I would like to think people shift to the way that we do it here and do more of what we’re doing in the factory.

“As well as the opportunities that creates for people who maybe wouldn’t be able to work on a construction site, it also benefits the client from a better-quality product.

“I think construction has maybe got a bit of a stigma for not being quite so good but doing more in the factory certainly enhances the quality of the product.”

Some 21,952 new build homes across all sectors were built in Scotland in the latest year-to-end figures.

The Scottish Government said it wants to deliver 110,00 affordable homes by 2040 and are investing in the sector as well as working alongside private investors to reach this target.