Winchester woman's house almost uninhabitable due to mould

Marie Waters, 34, moved into her house on Wonston Close with her children, 15-year-old Leah and 14-year-old Connor, in December 2022.

The single parent said that the family started having issues with damp and mould on the south-eastern walls of the house immediately after moving in both the sitting room and bedrooms, which also damaged the integrity of one of the windows.

Mould in Marie's bedroom (Image: Newsquest)The last straw came in November, when builders came and stripped the plaster from one of the walls in the sitting room and replaced it with a combination of sand and cement instead of a waterproof compound. Ms Waters said the work caused a large amount of dust to spread around the house, and that sheeting was not put down to protect the floor or furniture.

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She said: “We’ve lost that communal space. This last Christmas has been really hard; we normally have a tree and do all the decorating, but we couldn’t this year.

“We asked for a bigger house because my son is 14 now and his room is a converted bathroom, it’s not big enough. But when I told the council about the size it should be, we were told that the council don’t go by the sizes and regulations that are listed on the internet. And they said that they wouldn’t move us and that we’re adequately housed.

Where the plaster was removed and replaced in the sitting room (Image: Newsquest)“It’s all added a load of stress. It’s only been the last week that I’ve been able to try to get on top of it all; I wouldn’t let people in the house because it was too disgusting. Realistically, we need to move because my son can’t cope. However, if the council got the house sorted it would make life simpler.

“When we moved in it was a new property and we loved it. But if we knew about these issues, I never would have moved in.”

A Winchester City Council spokesperson said: “It’s very important that our tenants have a warm and comfortable home and so we were concerned to hear about this situation. Before Christmas, our tenancy support team visited, assigning a dedicated tenancy sustainment officer to support the tenant in applying for alternative accommodation that would suit her and her son.

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“Our council homes are in high demand and so there is an unavoidable wait for properties but officers have also ensured that the family have the support they are entitled to.

“In the meantime, initial damp works took place in November and our contractor is keen to complete the work as soon as possible and is liaising directly with the tenant to arrange dates for the completion of the work.

“This includes a finishing coat on the treated wall, the replacement of the window and window seal, plus subsequent repair to external brickwork. On completion of plastering works, the living room will also be deep cleaned. It is hoped this will be completed as soon as possible.”