Rochdale father pleads for help to avoid ‘another death’ due to damp and mould

Date published: 06 October 2023

A father in Rochdale has issued a plea for help after mould and damp in his housing association property has made his children feel “constantly unwell.”

Sajid Bashir, 47, lives in a Rochdale Boroughwide Housing (RBH) property on Delamere Road with his six children and wife.

He told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that he first complained about mould, damp, and a general state of disrepair in his home in June but little has been done to fix the issues.

It has led to him taking his children to the GP and A&E due to health problems which he believes have been made worse by the conditions in the house.

Alongside mould, he claims his family have been left to deal with a raft of problems such as leaking pipes, sewage spills, rats, and days without water or electricity. One of the children in the house suffers from asthma and pancreatitis.

RBH is the same housing association which managed the property where Awaab Ishak's family lived on the Freehold estate. Awaab died in December 2020 due to a respiratory condition linked to mould and damp in the family's flat. RBH launched a 'lessons learnt' review following the tragic incident to make improvements to how it operates and the quality of its homes.

Mr Bashir told the LDRS that RBH are aware of the condition of his house and have visited, but little progress has been made, leaving him worried about the health of his children and whether tragedy could strike again in Rochdale due to damp and mould.

He said: “We’ve had a number of incidents with leaks, pipes burst, damp and mould in the house. RBH have done nothing to help. My children are constantly unwell, they don’t want to be at home and they also don’t want to go to school, their confidence is at rock bottom.

“We’ve already had one death in the community, there doesn’t have to be another one. I know there are other people out there with no help too.”

RBH is undergoing a number of changes following a review into Awaab’s death. Interim chief executive Yvonne Arrowsmith stepped down in September and said there is “still a way to go” to make improvements at the housing association. Ms Arrowsmith was replaced by Amanda Newton.

RBH is also proposing to change how it is run, with a consultation taking place to give more power over the overall strategy of the organisation to the board of directors rather than the tenants and employees.

When contacted about the issues Mr Bashir and his family are facing, RBH issued an apology and promised to carry out the works to improve his home.

Siobhan McCoy, RBH director of property services, said: “Our team are working hard to resolve the issues that Mr Bashir has reported to us with his home, and we are sorry that these issues have yet to be resolved to his satisfaction.

“This is a complex case and we have investigated and responded to a number of detailed issues raised by Mr Bashir. We have already completed urgent repairs to the property, with further works booked in for completion. We are working with Mr Bashir to carry out the remaining works at a time and in a way which minimises the disruption to him and his family.”

Ms McCoy added: “We take all reports of damp and mould and other safety issues very seriously. We encourage all our tenants to report any damp and mould as soon as they become aware of it, so that we can identify the cause and take action.

“The safety of our customers is our top priority.

“We are in contact with Mr Bashir to understand his concerns while this further work is completed, and to ensure that we are doing everything we can to support him.”

Declan Carey, Local Democracy Reporting Service

Mould and damp at the Delamere Road house
©Sajid Bashir