Cambridgeshire woman slams 'dreadful' housing association after toilet and sink removed due to damp

A Cambridgeshire woman has described a housing association as 'dreadful' after living with damp and mould for seven months. Laura Evans said the toilet and sink in her one-bedroom flat in Cambourne had to be removed after floorboards in her bathroom began to rot from the damp.

The 24-year-old said she first noticed issues in November 2023 when she spotted a damp patch on her ceiling and reported it to Clarion Housing Group. She said there was "a load of back and forth" while mould began to grow in the bathroom. A spokesperson for Clarion Housing Group said the housing association was "very sorry for the inconvenience caused".

Miss Evans, who suffers from asthma, said: "I'm poorly all of the time because as soon as I'm in the flat, my asthma flares up. And then as soon as I leave, within an hour or two, I feel so much better."

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She raised a complaint against the housing association in April after months in which the source of the problem – a roof leak – had not been repaired. She also reported the issues to the environmental health department at South Cambridgeshire District Council in May.

The basin in her bathroom began to sink down into the floor and was removed by the housing association. The toilet was also removed in early June, with Miss Evans using the toilet at her neighbour's flat for a week before the housing association put her up in a hotel – where her stay has now been extended to July 19.

"I have to come back to the flat every day, twice a day," she said. "It's fine, but it's more the inconvenience of six weeks' worth of back and forth."

She said if the problem had been resolved shortly after she first noticed it in November, it could have been fixed sooner, saving both time and money. She added that it would have had less of an impact on her health and wellbeing.

A Clarion spokesperson said: "In this case the repairs to Ms Evans' flat have taken longer than we would like, and we're very sorry for the inconvenience caused. The initial delays relate to difficulty identifying the source of the leak.

"It was first reported as a bathroom damp patch and treated with a mould wash. When the moisture persisted the source was suspected to be a fitting in the flat above. Further investigation pointed to a roof leak, the building's height requiring a scaffold to make the repair. The issue was then believed to be resolved, with the resident reporting the same initially.

"Unfortunately, before final cosmetic repairs could be completed in the bathroom further issues arose causing the current delay. Initially temporary accommodation was not offered as Ms Evans indicated she would be okay for a short period and would be out of the country for some of this time.

"When it became clear the repair was more complex, and would take longer than anticipated, we arranged hotel accommodation. We are in contact with Ms Evans and plans have been made to complete the bathroom repairs next week."

A spokesperson for South Cambridgeshire District Council said: "Our Environmental Health team are in contact with the tenant and landlord to ensure the landlord fixes these issues and brings the home up to the standard we’d expect. We understand the landlord is carrying out these works but will continue to monitor this closely.

"People in South Cambridgeshire, who rent homes in the private sector and from housing associations, can seek help from us if mould issues are not resolved in a reasonable timeframe by their landlords. Most properties within the private rented sector in the district are in good condition, but our Environmental Health team investigate any complaints.

"We have the power to take appropriate enforcement action if there are issues that need to be resolved. This action could include writing to the landlord to ensure the issue is resolved, but we can also serve a legal notice to instruct works to be carried out."