Charlton dad's three year wait for Greenwich Council action on mould and damp

2:15pm Monday 7th January 2013 in News By Mark Chandler

Scott Moreland Scott Moreland

A DAD-OF-FOUR has been waiting three years for Greenwich Council to sort out damp and mould which is spreading "like a cancer" through his house.

News Shopper highlighted Scott Moreland's problem all the way back in February 2011 but, despite council assurances, the damp is still there and, he claims, is making his young daughters unwell.

Mr Moreland, 29, of Wolfe Crescent, Charlton, said: "After the News Shopper article they filled a hole in the wall but did nothing to sort the problem out.

"The mould is going from room to room, spreading like a disease, like a cancer.

"The house just doesn't hold heat, it's damp - even the stairway carpet's damp."

In desperation, Mr Moreland tried calling council-run propaganda freesheet Greenwich Time about the problem, but claims they hung up on him.

He said: "As soon as I said what the problem was, the phone went dead.

"They didn't want to know."

A Greenwich Council spokesman said: "The Royal Borough acknowledges that Mr Moreland’s home has been affected by dampness and have been working with him to identify the cause.

"During our most recent inspection on December 14 Mr Moreland advised he did not want any works undertaken until the New Year.

"The latest information received does appear to show that the situation has worsened since then and we have contacted Mr Moreland to arrange for an inspection to be undertaken by a senior manager on the afternoon of January 7."

Comments(20)

the wall says...
4:58pm Mon 7 Jan 13

"During our most recent inspection on December 14 Mr Moreland advised he did not want any works undertaken until the New Year".......... So you don't really care about your daughter's heath, otherwise you would have gone through with it.

Remind me how much this work is costing you?

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Gemzie82 says...
12:41am Wed 9 Jan 13

Just because he's a council tenant, doesn't mean he should be expected to live in poorer conditions than anybody else! There could've been any number of reasons it was inconvenient....who are we to judge?? I'm a greenwich council tenant & I lived with this problem for 6 years before anything was done about it! All the council done was advised me to paint with anti mould paint (which the damp eventually comes through) oh & fit an extractor fan in the kids bedroom. None of this helped, whenever I tried to get it sorted I was passed from pillar to post. Countless inspections were carried out & in the meantime almost every room in my flat had black mould covering the walls. My partner & I had to sleep on front room floor with our 1 year old for over a year as the bedrooms were so bad & my son was on steroids for bad asthma.which, may I add, the doctor confirmed was caused/worsened by the damp. The damp ruined furniture & furnishings as well as clothes in the built in wardrobe. This was an awful thing to live with!!! My advice to you is don't give up!! If its making your children poorly, take them to doctors so they can help. Take photos of all the damp & go and see your mp, also contact the local government ombudsman. They will give the council a deadline in order to rectify this problem!! Good luck!!!!

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the wall says...
12:12pm Wed 9 Jan 13

Gemzie82 says - bah bah bah!

who are we to judge - Considering my taxes are paying for it....then me. Also considering Scott Moreland has gone to a public accessed media outlet then we can all judge.

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Newreader100 says...
10:17pm Wed 9 Jan 13

What an absolute parasite on society. Get a job you waste

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Gemzie82 says...
11:11am Thu 10 Jan 13

So council tenants are people with no jobs who sponge off society??? Don't tar everyone with the same brush!! Yes I'm a council tenant, yes I have children & yes my partner & I work to support our family! We both go out to work, I'm often working 13 hour shifts as a nursing assistant so yes I pay taxes too!! Remind me where in this article that it states mr Moreland is unemployed????
God forbid if you 'homeowners' ever lost your jobs & needed help from the government & us taxpayers!!!

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the wall says...
3:41pm Thu 10 Jan 13

Maybe you shouldn't of had kids if you can't support them. Or is that how you got your free home.

Homeowners will not get free building and maintenance work done that's for sure.

Beggar's can't be choosers

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Newreader100 says...
7:04pm Thu 10 Jan 13

Gemzie82 wrote:
So council tenants are people with no jobs who sponge off society??? Don't tar everyone with the same brush!! Yes I'm a council tenant, yes I have children & yes my partner & I work to support our family! We both go out to work, I'm often working 13 hour shifts as a nursing assistant so yes I pay taxes too!! Remind me where in this article that it states mr Moreland is unemployed????
God forbid if you 'homeowners' ever lost your jobs & needed help from the government & us taxpayers!!!
Zzzzzz

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Gemzie82 says...
9:15pm Thu 10 Jan 13

I do support my kids, with my hard earned money thank you very much!!! I work just as hard as the next person, whether they are homeowners or not!! I am NOT on benefits however the benefit system was put into place to help people temporarily in their times of need & like you, I do not agree with people that choose this as a 'career' option, have loads of kids & expect everyone else to pay for them! However, I do not understand how it is relevant whether or not you own your own house!!

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Homeowner81 says...
10:02pm Thu 10 Jan 13

Because Gemzie82 when u own your own house YOU HAVE TO PAY FOR YOUR OWN REPAIRS! (shock horror!) Not live off the back of the council and those not on benefits. Pump out kids like no tomorrow, for more money and a bigger house no doubt, then cant afford his own place, then complains someone else dont pay to fix it! Then wants them round at a time suitable for him HAHAHA he cares so much clearly! If he dont like it maybe Mr Moreland should give up his council house to someone else who would appreciate it being handed on a plate to them, and go buy his own place and pay for all the repairs and all the bills himself. He would really complain then... but we all know he wouldnt do that! Waste of space.

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Homeowner81 says...
10:07pm Thu 10 Jan 13

And another quick point - he had help from the goverment when his house was handed to him having never had to work hard for it. Maybe he should put his hand in his pocket and pull out some of his "hard earned cash" and pay for the repairs himself if his not satisfied with the free service of the local council. Cant expect everything for free in life!

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Gemzie82 says...
10:32pm Thu 10 Jan 13

I don't know if he has 'hard earned cash' he could be working, he could be unemployed. Nowhere in this article does it state his personal circumstances....tha
t was my point!!! People just assume that because he's a council tenant he must be unemployed & sponging off the government & he may very well be & if he is then I totally agree with what your saying but like I said, no one knows the personal circumstances so people should not just 'assume'. Not all council tenants are like that!! Just like not all homeowners pay for everything (you can get help towards mortgage interest payments if you become unemployed etc) everyone's personal circumstances are different & can change at a drop of a hat so don't just assume everyones the same.

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mouthalmighty says...
11:38pm Thu 10 Jan 13

I know there are rules about doing repairs oneself in council properties, but health matters are important, and tenants should override those rules and fix it themselves. The medics are sure to support you if health is affected.

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the wall says...
10:52am Fri 11 Jan 13

Gemzie82 wrote:
I don't know if he has 'hard earned cash' he could be working, he could be unemployed. Nowhere in this article does it state his personal circumstances....tha

t was my point!!! People just assume that because he's a council tenant he must be unemployed & sponging off the government & he may very well be & if he is then I totally agree with what your saying but like I said, no one knows the personal circumstances so people should not just 'assume'. Not all council tenants are like that!! Just like not all homeowners pay for everything (you can get help towards mortgage interest payments if you become unemployed etc) everyone's personal circumstances are different & can change at a drop of a hat so don't just assume everyones the same.
I think you have completely missed the point. This bloke has complained about a damp problem and how it's effecting his daughter. The council give him a time they can fix it for FREE and he says no.

Beggar's can't be choosers!

Support for Mortgage Interest (SMI) if you're getting 'certain' income related benefits you 'might' be able to get help towards interest payments. There’s NO guarantee that you’ll get SMI.


If you are a Council tenant and your boiler needs replacing or your roof is damaged or you have a leaking pipe or dodgy electrics or a blocked drainage or need a broken window replaced it's all FREE. Yet lots of council tenants find the money to pay for Sky TV, fags and booze.

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Homeowner81 says...
2:43pm Fri 11 Jan 13

I'm not against people having council accomodation, I sure as hell wish i would of been eligable for one, I would be ALOT better off each month (BUT due to not breeding like wildfire, and going to work it seems that I wasnt entitled) My point is he has been given a free house for him and his family, and yet he is soooooo unsatisfied with not getting all the works carried out that he wants that he chooses to complain. If your really that unhappy with the free council service Mr Moreland try living in the real world where you buy your own house for your family to live, and pay for it all YOURSELF instead of expecting it all paid for you! I know if my 4 childrens health was at risk i wouldnt sit on my backside complaining for 2yrs I would do something about it myself, IF he works he earns money to do this. As The Wall says if our boiler or heating breaks WE have to pay, not call a number and get a free engineer round, and if we cant afford to then we go cold or borrow.
And it is true homeowners can get help with "interest" but it hardly pays all of the mortgage (which is more than council rent anyway!). if a council tenant loses their job they get their rent/council tax and water all paid for for them. Simple fact is if he is sooo unhappy with the condition of the free house he has been given and the free services the council provide, maybe he should give it up to someone who would appreciate it and take his family and provide for them all by himself!!!!

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mouthalmighty says...
8:30pm Fri 11 Jan 13

Hear hear, homeowner81. Well said.

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madras says...
1:03pm Sat 12 Jan 13

I'm a little confused by the references to 'a free house' - isn't the idea that the council is effectively a landlord charging rent for the property that they own. And that this should be maintained to an acceptable / appropriate standard?

And if this was a privately rented property there would be cries of ‘slum landlord’?

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nearly right all the time says...
9:16pm Sat 12 Jan 13

To all of you who pay a morgage and then bleat about social housing, what about your tax relief!
And dont forget a landlord has by law
to keep his property in good order.

Still i was born in social housing, but now own my house, but i dont forget why i came from!

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the wall says...
9:55am Mon 14 Jan 13

What tax relief is that?

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Gypo.Joe says...
11:44am Mon 14 Jan 13

When you find out about the tax relief Wall put me down fer a basin full.

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PaulErith says...
12:46pm Mon 14 Jan 13

madras wrote:
I'm a little confused by the references to 'a free house' - isn't the idea that the council is effectively a landlord charging rent for the property that they own. And that this should be maintained to an acceptable / appropriate standard? And if this was a privately rented property there would be cries of ‘slum landlord’?
I think that's a good point, and I agree that the council (as landlord) should sort out the damp. However, I think everyone's problem with this is that he was offered for someone to come round on 14th Dec but pushed it back to the new year. Then he's complaining to the paper. You can see why people are going to express their opinions against this.

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