HOUSING CONDITIONS ON THE BEECHDALE , WALSALL.

Express & Star

As new laws come into force meaning landlords must act upon poor housing conditions, take a look in Walsall, Beechdale, where the mould doesn't want to move out.

Transcript

00:00 So Elaine we're just here in Beechdale and it's fair to say there's a lot of

00:05 issues with a lot of the properties here on the estate. Just fill us in on what's

00:09 been going on Elaine. Yes there are a number of properties on the estate where

00:13 Longhurst have been dealt with repairs, there's maintenance issues and as in this

00:18 house that I'm in at the moment there's a huge lot of black mould. We know there's

00:21 more tenants out there and the people on the estate have had enough and have set

00:26 up a committee and a tenants association called the Beechdale Residents

00:31 Association. We're going to be having a big meeting on the 17th of January about

00:35 it for people to come along and share their issues and take it forward.

00:39 What's your role in all this then? Do you live on the estate? I don't live on the

00:42 estate. I stood to be a local councillor in the last three elections but wasn't

00:47 elected. I found out that people had these issues and because I care about how

00:51 people live I've started helping them with their housing complaints and we

00:56 have taken things forward to set up this association and the people just want

01:00 something done so they can actually live in decent accommodation and have their

01:03 estate back. I mean especially you know it's quite topical as well isn't it?

01:07 Particularly the mould issue with the new legislation is it that's coming in

01:12 saying housing associations will have to kind of act upon it and that and we've

01:16 just got behind you, it's your house isn't it? What's your name madam? My name's

01:19 Teresa. Teresa and there's you, your partner and your daughter as well that lives here.

01:26 So she uses the stairlift doesn't she? And we can see I mean just to the right

01:31 of the camera there you've got mould running all throughout your house

01:34 haven't you? Yes. And you've had people around and what's been the answer? Am I

01:41 right in saying they've said oh we're just basically going to paint over it?

01:43 That's all they keep saying. Yeah. There's an issue in the back with the trees

01:49 isn't it that's become too large? Yeah. And there's some thought that obviously that

01:54 potential trees like that can sometimes affect drains and sometimes that can

01:59 then have caused damp issues. But have they, what have they said it needs doing?

02:03 What have they actually said to you? They haven't really said what needs doing, they've just said like

02:07 they was going to do the part at the bottom like they never said what they're

02:11 going to do. Yeah. Have they managed to pinpoint a cause of all the mould running

02:16 through the house? No. No? So what's I mean you know this is where you this is

02:22 your home is your sanctuary. Yeah. How does it feel for you with your

02:27 family living here? You know. Disgusting because like I say you know I need to

02:32 get it decorated I can't wait like this and I've got a disabled daughter. Yeah. So yeah

02:37 you were saying there's no point in you trying to paint anything when mould's just coming through. No.

02:41 And are you happy that if they paint over it's gonna resolve it? No it's just

02:47 gonna come back. Yeah. So this is what's the Residents Association? It's called

02:53 the Beechdale Residents Association. Yeah. And the Housing Association needs? The Longhurst.

02:59 Longhurst. And so have you come across quite a few properties on the estate that are

03:04 having issues then? I have been to a few other people have actually written down

03:08 for me when I've dealt with complaints what their issues are and we know that

03:11 there's many many more. Yeah. And yeah Theresa it's just I guess it's just not

03:17 pleasant is it? You go to bed in a room where you look up and there's mould on

03:21 the ceiling and everything yeah. Yeah. And what's erm. And we keep coughing and that. So you even

03:27 noticing it on that level like yeah? Yeah. So I guess what you want is not a

03:33 liquor paint you want a solution to the problem.

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