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Nikki Hughes says her asthma has got worse because of the damp
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‘I’ll sue’ says woman in damp bedsit

By Hugh Fort
March 17, 2010

An asthma sufferer living in a damp-ridden bedsit has vowed to sue a housing company unless it pays her inflated electricity bills and replaces her ruined furniture.

Nikki Hughes, 25, is the second tenant in the flats in Wayland Close to contact getbracknell over damp problems after Terrie Burden, 24, revealed the state of her living conditions.

Repairs pledge for damp-ridden flat

She said: “My asthma has got much worse since this has happened.

“The company says I need the heating on all the time, but I can’t because of my asthma.

“There’s mould all over my bed.

“They have done work, but it hasn’t stopped it.”

Delia Balan, asthma nurse specialist at Asthma UK, said: “Over 13,000 people in Berkshire suffer from asthma and over a third of people tell us the moulds and fungi associated with damp housing trigger their condition.

“As damp housing is a relatively easy problem to solve there is no reason why someone should be forced to live in conditions which negatively affect their health.”

Nikki, who has suffered from asthma since she was a teenager, has a note from her doctor urging the company to do more work as the damp is affecting her condition.

She has also run up a huge electricity bill.

She added: “I had these dehumidifiers in the house to try to dry it out. As a result, my electricity bill went up and I’ve asked the company to pay it, but they say they won’t.

“I can’t afford it and I’m looking at an extra payment for not paying on time.

“My furniture is ruined and I feel they should pay for that as well.

“I’ve consulted my solicitor and they say I have a strong case.

“If they don’t agree [to pay] I’ll take them to court.”

A spokesman for L&Q London Housing Association, which owns the bedsits, said a surveyor will visit her home and the company had been in regular contact with her.

He added they had carried out repairs and improvements including fitting airbricks and vents and extensive redecoration work.

He said: “Condensation can be a problem in any home during cold weather and we advise all residents to have their heating on (even if only on a low heat) and keep a small window open in any rooms they are using (particularly when cooking or drying clothes) to reduce condensation.”

The company has been to visit Miss Burden recently, her walls have been treated and further work is to be done to try to solve the problem, which she says has got worse since she spoke to getbracknell last month.

She also says the damp has made her ill and previously gave getbracknell paperwork from her doctor asking the company to carry out the work.

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Surely, her heating bill was artificially high due to running heaters to try to get rid of the damp.

I don't think many people deliberately grow mould in their houses and I would probably also class legal action as "drastic action".

But still, you carry on in right wing land where people who live in housing association homes are all grasping con artists.

Megaman
17/03/2010 at 16:13

Well I have to pay for my own up keep why should my taxes pay for someone elses heating??

My heating bill was so high in January I have had to get by & then to have the cheek to say you are going to sue the housing association!!!! Scandal!!!!!

If I was genuinly worried about my health (as she says she is) I would get off my back side and take drastic action rather than wait around for someone else to do it.

MPwannaB, Bracknell
17/03/2010 at 13:50

She can stay at mine! ;-)

Brad From-Birch Hill, Bracknell
17/03/2010 at 12:56

MP, if she's renting from the housing association, it means that she can't afford to rent anywhere else, so doesn't have the option of moving. It's easy enough to sit there and tell people to move house, but it's not that simple to actually do it - especially on a low income.