Living Rent members Natasha and Rory and other families from Living Rent Muirhouse-Pilton dumped their mouldy belongings outside the council’s North West Locality in West Pilton in protest of being forced to live in a mouldy, damp flat for the last five years.

According to the protestors, the council’s attempts to combat the issue of mould by washing it away and then repainting the area has only led to the mould growing back and large parts of the property being riddled with dampness.

Across the UK, landlords and social housing providers have been responding to the serious risk to health caused by prolonged exposure to mould following the death of Awaab Ishak due to a preventable lung disease exacerbated by mould exposure.

Natasha and Rory first reported the dampness in November 2017 only for a surveyor to come out and report that there was no problem with mould and damp. The couple then reported the issue again in November 2021 at which point a surveyor recommended that the property be repainted. Painting was completed in January 2022 however the structural issue of rising dampness was not addressed and remains an ongoing health hazard.

The tenants say that in only committing to painting over the mould and not dealing with the issue that the property is structurally damp, the council has failed to take their concerns and the wellbeing of their children seriously.

Natasha and Rory added that the mould and damp threaten their children’s health, with their nine-year-old experiencing worsening asthma, and their 2-year-old presenting frequent cough and chest infections. Other visitors to the house, notably the children’s grandmother who has COPD, report frequently struggling to breathe when inside and feeling a weight on her chest as soon as she walks in.

After five years of no action, Natasha and Rory joined their local branch of Living Rent in an attempt to put pressure on the council to take action.

Natasha said: “The issue in our household is mould and dampness that the council are doing nothing about. We’ve previously had the dampness ‘treated’ and what I mean by that is they painted over the problem.

“It’s affecting us all. We all always seem to have coughs in this house and my stepdaughter who suffers asthma has had to get a dosage increase in her inhaler. I have tried to contact the housing officer but I’ve never ever received a response from him.

“My 2-year-old and I have just recovered from a very bad chesty cough and can only blame the dampness for this. The dampness and mould is in the kids’ boxroom and has spread all over my son’s mattress. This was the last straw for me. My son’s life is potentially at risk. I will not allow my family to live in squalor anymore. The dampness has to go or we need to be rehoused.”

Caroline Cawley from the Living Rent tenants’ union added: “Natasha and Rory’s case demonstrates the need for council’s, social housing providers and landlords to stop putting short term measures in place and take serious, concerted action to deal with the epidemic of mould in our housing.

“It’s deplorable that the City of Edinburgh Council is forcing so many of its tenants to live in homes that are overrun with damp and mould. The council needs to step up and provide adequate resources to solve these issues before more people get sick from their living conditions.

“We are in the worst cost of living crisis in generations with freezing temperatures outside tenants cannot just be told to ‘open the windows’. Over the last month we have seen the awful consequences of landlords blaming tenants for the structural issues and failing to take tenants’ concerns seriously in the death of Awaab Ishak.”

A council spokesperson told Scottish Housing News: “We’re very sorry that our tenants are facing these issues and we’re arranging for a survey to be carried out. This should identify the root causes of the dampness at the Blake family’s home, so that works can urgently be taken forward.”