Eastbourne family says they're living with black mould: ‘Our health and mental health is quickly deteriorating’

Holly Langham lives with her two children in a two-bedroom flat in Latimer Road. She has rented the property through a private landlord since August 2018 and said problems started when mould appeared in October 2019. Mould appears when there is poor ventilation and damp in the property.

Holly said she contacted her landlord and was told to wipe it down using cleaning products and keep the house ventilated. This resulted in ‘soggy and black’ wallpaper hanging off the walls which Holly took off as she believed it was a health hazard. As a result she says she was told she would have to repair the walls.

Holly said: “Me and the kids keep getting chest infections and coughing.”

Holly said she went to Eastbourne Borough Council (EBC) in 2021 with a doctor’s letter stating they must be moved, but she says nothing has been done. She said she’s also contacted Brighton Housing Trust (BHT) Sussex, a housing association and a homeless charity, but had no success there.

Holly said: “Me and the kids are now sleeping in the living room, my son is now on an inhaler and now we're all coughing again and rashes are showing up on our skin. My kids hate it here, our health and mental health is quickly deteriorating. I could potentially lose everything and the kids are missing out on normality.”

Holly said her landlord is continuing to tell her she needs to fix the problem.

A spokesperson for EBC said: “Our officers have visited the property and are liaising with Holly and her landlord. The visit confirmed there are no signs of penetrating or rising damp. Condensation in the property is being investigated by the landlord. We have offered advice to Holly on how she can reduce the issues being experienced and at the same time lower her energy costs.

“In light of the eviction notice that has now been served by Holly’s landlord, our housing solutions teams will provide her with further guidance and she can also seek legal advice from BHT Sussex. The housing solutions team will also update colleagues at BHT on these latest developments.”

A BHT Sussex spokesperson said: “We are unable to comment on individual cases; however, as a housing advice service we would not take a landlords word and dismiss a case.”

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