Miss B complained about delays in the Council carrying out repairs to a leak in the roof and that this had caused a progression of damp and mould in the property, namely the bedroom. Miss B noted her 2 younger children, both of whom have asthma, also shared this bedroom. Miss B said that her youngest daughter had developed a persistent cough for more than 4 weeks which Miss B felt was partly due to the mould spores in the bedroom. Miss B added that her mental health had been affected as she was constantly worrying about her children’s health.
The Ombudsman identified that there had been delays in the work being carried out. The work was subsequently completed, and the Council arranged follow-up inspections. It also raised a job order for anti-mould paint to be applied in the affected bedroom. Although the Council had said that Miss B had not made any reports of damp or mould since 2022, the Council records showed that Miss B had reported mould in the living room in April 2024. It was not clear from the Council’s records what had happened in relation to this. The Ombudsman was concerned that Miss B’s case might be reflective of other instances where reports of mould or damp are not being identified or followed up. This was addressed as part of the settlement.
The Council agreed to apologise to Miss B for the delayed work, to review its repair processes to ensure they were robust enough that reported cases of damp and mould are followed up. In addition, if it did not already do so, it would take photographs of the damp and mould where it is reported as part of its inspection evidence.