Tenant tells of ‘dark days’ in housing battle

A family living in a mould-infested house have spoken about the nightmare of a home they believe is killing them.

Kevin Smith and his family are fighting to be rehoused after their house in Lyttelton Road, Stourbridge, was the subject of a safeguarding referral by paramedics.

Mr Smith, aged 39, has a number of medical conditions including the lung disease emphysema. His partner Danielle Hutton, aged 36, suffers with asthma while one of their three children is autistic.

In January Ms Hutton required an ambulance after suffering breathing problems and medics were so concerned about living conditions in the house they alerted Dudley Council.

Mr Smith said: “I can’t work, it’s not something I am proud of, it’s soul-destroying when you have got constant problems and you are trying to get them fixed but you haven’t got the finances to fix it yourself.

“I suffer with severe anxiety and depression. We have had real dark days and said ‘shall we call it quits and go back to mum’s’ but we are a family and we can’t just turn around and give up.”

The house has damp and mould throughout, three rooms are so bad the family no longer uses them and there is suspected Japanese Knotweed growing in through one of the doors.

An inspection by Dudley Council also identified trouble with the electrical system while water is getting in through a flat roof which has caused part of the ceiling in a ground floor room to collapse.

Mr Smith said: “We have a dehumidifier on constantly, I empty it four times a day and it’s full.”

The strain on the family is taking its toll on Mr Smith, who says the council could do more to help his family out of their privately rented home and into a council house.

He said: “This is not viable any more, I was begging and crying on the phone, there is no light at the end of the tunnel.

“We have jumped over every hurdle, every complication to get the help we require, I don’t want to step on peoples’ toes but I need people to know.”

Dudley Council inspected the house on March 12 and says a report is being prepared that will determine if the house is ‘unfit’ which could lead to enforcement action against the landlord. 

The council also says the family has been offered alternative accommodation but Mr Smith says it was an unsuitable bed and breakfast provision which would mean they are then classed ‘intentionally homeless’.

Meanwhile Norton councillor Tony Creed is calling for a quicker response from the council while Stourbridge MP Cat Eccles has written to the authority highlighting the plight of the family.

Mr Smith added: “They have seen the evidence, one of those photos should be enough.

“My family has been left in the dark and treated like we are less than human.

“The mental struggle of the unknown alone due to all this is too much to bear and puts us at risk even further.”