'Mould is making my family ill and no one will help'

A family who have been living in a mouldy home for years say they have been "completely let down" by their landlord.

Dylan Cullen, who lives in Stockport, Greater Manchester, said his home was "riddled" with damp and mould, which were not being sorted quickly enough.

Social housing landlord Stockport Homes previously said two years ago that it would arrange work to tackle the problems, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

But Dylan said the house is still full of mould, leaving the family fearing for their health. Stockport Homes have been contacted for comment.

Dylan, 21, has lived at the property in Adswood with his 53-year-old mum and his 15-year-old sister for the past 12 years.

"It feels like we've got no one to help, we're trying to get Stockport Homes to do what they can to eradicate it, it just feels like our backs are turned, we've got nowhere to turn to anymore," Dylan said.

He added that while Stockport Homes has made efforts to improve things by arranging damp-proof courses, the mould has not gone away.

It is also hitting the family in the pocket as they are having to splash out on re-decorating every few months.

Dylan said that surveyors have told the family that the issues are coming from the bathroom which he said needs replacing, but that Stockport Homes has not agreed to carry out this work.

He added: "We're currently on our third damp-proof course now and that one has failed too, we're being told where the issues are coming from, but it's like they don't care, they don't seem to want to know, it's really frustrating for all of us in the house.

"It's massively impacting us, my mum especially, every time we're having these damp-proof courses done she's having to go out, spend money that realistically she hasn't got, to redecorate the house. We've had to redecorate three times.

"I'm having to chip in as well, neither of us are in well-paying jobs so it's all coming out of our pocket. It's very expensive to redecorate three rooms every couple of months."

Dylan, who works in retail, said: "We feel completely let down, I help to pay a portion of the rent, we pay it each month to then be ignored, to have Stockport Homes not care about the kind of property they are letting people live in.

"We feel massively let down by them.

"We are reporting it constantly, they're then leaving it months and months and months until we're getting any kind of response.

"One time they came out and just painted the bathroom wall and that was their idea of resolving the issue.

"Every surveyor we've had out has said all these issues are stemming from the bathroom, which is yonks old, they said so many times that the whole bathroom needs replacing, we've told Stockport Homes this and they've turned round and said no.

"So we're living in a house full of mould that's making us all ill, especially over the last few years.

"I suffer from my chest anyway and I've noticed over the past few years with these issues piling up I've been getting 10 times worse."

Stockport Homes has come under fire in recent years over the speed of repairs, with some tenants frustrated over jobs taking long times to complete.

The social housing provider said in 2024 that it understood the concerns and was pushing to clear a repairs backlog.

Former Stockport Homes boss Helen McHale said at the time: "In January we finished about 2,000 more repairs this year than last year, so that's what we're dealing with."

Listen to the best of BBC Radio Manchester on Sounds and follow BBC Manchester on Facebook, X, and Instagram. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230.