A young mum who had to watch her autistic son struggle to breathe in a mould-infested Nottingham house has finally got the council to cough up thousands in repairs for her rotting home after she said the family’s plight was ignored for years.
31-year-old Jade Sharp reported the property issues to Nottingham City Council numerous times but said they turned a blind eye to the family’s living conditions.
The school supervisor began reporting problems with her terraced house on Cotswold Road, Nottingham, shortly after moving in four years ago including broken windows, constant leaks, and excessive mould.
“All rooms were affected. Our bedroom, kitchen, my daughter’s room and especially my son’s” said Mrs Sharp.
“His windows had the worst mould and every time they needed to be closed, the wall would get pushed back.
“My son has autism so he couldn’t sleep at night properly and because of the mould, he started to have breathing issues.
“The first time a council worker came to look at the mould, he wiped it down and said to do the same every time it appeared. But it would come back worse every time.”
The mum of three said her initial complaint to the council resulted in a worker suggesting to push the windows from the outside with wooden locks to close them.
On one occasion, she cites that seven council representatives visited the property and acknowledged the need for new windows but failed to take further action.
In a bid to resolve the issue, she sought assistance from a window company, hoping to expedite the repair process, but said the local authority declined her request citing their ownership of the house.
Tired of waiting for a solution, Jade contacted Liverpool-based, Angelus Law, who took on her case last November. The firm managed to get Nottingham City Council to complete the house repairs earlier this year which totalled £4,400.
A full report of issues with the property was created, and the firm gave the council five months to fix everything.
“Angelus Law were brilliant,” added Mrs Sharp.
“They called the council and sent people to check the property. Within a few months, all the work was completed, and it is finally a liveable house.
“I know several people who have also had the same issues where their council would not help them.
“People shouldn’t have to live like that. The council had so much time to fix it and they didn’t do anything. If they get on with tasks as soon as people report them, so much time can be saved.”
Larissa Ellis, Head of Legal Operations at Angelus Law, said that this case underscores the crucial role of legal advocacy in holding responsible parties accountable.
She said: “We believe that everyone deserves a safe and habitable living environment. No one should have to endure such conditions, and prompt council action can save countless individuals from similar hardships.
“Our goal is to ensure that individuals and families have access to safe living conditions, something that most of us take for granted.”
A Nottingham City Council spokesperson told The Wire:
“We appreciate that this case has caused the Sharp family some frustration.
“The safety and wellbeing of all our tenants is important to us, and we have taken learning from this case that we will carry forward when delivering repairs services in future.
“We are upgrading our IT systems as part of wider improvements to the way we carry out repairs.
“This will include how we communicate with tenants about issues in their homes and that we ensure we keep customers informed of the progress.”
