A Gateshead mum has slammed Gentoo for failing to tackle the "disgusting" mould that covers her home and is said to be making her children sick.
Linzi Tate says she has spent 14 years living in appalling conditions because the housing provider has not provided a long-term solution to tackle the mould in her three-bed property. The 42-year-old lives on Heugh Hill in Springwell Village with her three children who all have health conditions that she says are being made worse by the state of the house.
Thick black mould covers the walls of the kitchen, bathroom and bedroom belonging to her son, Kieran Wright. The 14-year-old's room is said to be so damp that water drips from the ceiling and has turned some of his clothes mouldy.
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"It looks absolutely disgusting all of the time," Linzi said.
"The problem has been getting worse over the years. I am having to re-decorate every six months - ripping the wallpaper off and wiping the walls down because it is that bad. I have had to chuck half of my son's clothes out because they have gone mouldy."
Linzi said she has complained to Gentoo multiple times over the last 14 years and has followed their advice to tackle the issue - such as keeping windows open and lifting everything off the walls to let their air circulate - but without success.
"I have had different inspectors come out over the years and they just put mould paint on and within three months it is back again," she said.
"It is not fixing the problem. I had an inspector come out a couple of weeks ago and he said this is the way these houses are due to the condensation and they can't stop it so maybe I should move."
Linzi said she does not want to leave the home she has lived in for so long with her son Kieran and two daughters, Caitlin Tate, 18, and Scarlett Wright, nine.
"Caitlin has an open wound in her stomach where a tube is fed through so she can't be around mouldy stuff because there is a risk of infection," Linzi said.
"Scarlett has a low immune system which has affected her really badly with her school attendance over the last year - the mould is constantly making her bad.
"Kieran has asthma and croup and he is bad all of the time so his school attendance levels have dropped."
Linzi is calling on Gentoo to find a permanent solution to fix the problem.
"I want an apology from Gentoo and for them to fix the problem and not palm people off by saying its [just] condensation," she said.
"To let someone live in these conditions is absolutely disgusting."
Gentoo said it is committed to treating the mould in Linzi's home by carrying out measures that include installing passive vents and applying thermal paint.
James Haste, director of property maintenance at Gentoo Group, said: “At Gentoo we believe everyone has the right to live in a safe and secure home and we’re sorry to hear about the problems Ms Tate is experiencing with mould in her home.
“Following a visit from a Technical Inspector in December, we are working with Ms Tate to arrange an appointment to install passive vents, replace existing extractor fans and apply thermal paint in her home to remove the mould.
“We would like to apologise to Ms Tate for the problems she has been experiencing and reassure her we are committed to treating the mould in her home.
“If you are a tenant and are experiencing issues with damp and mould in your home, please call us on 0191 525 5500 and a member of the dedicated team will deal with your concerns.”
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