Mum awarded £2,000 after housing association left her in mouldy home for 4 years

The mum had also lived with a leak under her sink, a damaged sink unit and no extractor fan in the kitchen. Other issues that she reported included a broken extractor fan in the bathroom and leaking boiler

A mum has been awarded £2,000 in compensation after she was left to live with damp and mould in every room of her home for four years.

The teaching assistant had also complained about a leak under her sink, a damaged sink unit and no extractor fan in the kitchen.

Other issues that she reported to her housing association included a broken extractor fan in the bathroom and leaking boiler.

The tenant, who has been living in the two-bedroom house for 13 years, had complained to Orbit Group before she sought legal advice.

She has now been compensated £2,000 and had confirmation that the works will be brought up to legal standards.

Law firm High Street Solicitors organised a professional survey which found that the property had previously had leaks which had affected the bedrooms, hallway, bathroom and living room.

Damp remained within the property and the surveyor believed the property was in breach of Section 11 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985.

Have you been left to live in a damp or mouldy home? Let us know: mirror.money.saving@mirror.co.uk

The solicitors also argued that it was in breach of Section 10 of the Fitness for Human Habitation Act, meaning the property was not reasonably suitable for occupation.

The tenant said: “I’ve been living in this house for a long time and have repeatedly reported various issues over the years.

“Previous leaks have caused damage to all of the rooms, with damp and mould in every room within the house.

“The leaks had also caused the sink unit to break and vinyl flooring to lift but I’m so relieved to now be having the damages taken care of.”

The tenant complained about the state of her home using a no win, no fee solicitor firm.

The idea of no win, no fee is that you don’t pay anything to your solicitor if you lose the case – but you may still have to fork out for the other side’s legal costs.

If you do win, the solicitor will take a percentage of your compensation. You may also still have to pay for some other costs, like fees to pay for experts, court fees and travelling expenses.

You should always complain to the company you’ve got an issue with first to save on legal fees.

Larissa Ellis, head of housing at High Street Solicitors, said: “For a tenant to be living in these uninhabitable conditions is unacceptable.

“In this case, she’d been complaining for a number of years and nothing had been done to resolve the disrepair she was facing inside her home.”

The Mirror has contacted Orbit Group for comment.