A family has described how a long battle to fix issues with damp and mould in their home has left them angry and frustrated.
Dean and Jo Bradley live in a Yorkshire Housing-run property on Sycamore View, Keighley, with their 13-year-old son Ajay.
The family claims the property has been plagued by mould spores and damp for about three years.
Social housing provider Yorkshire Housing has issued an apology, admitting the company had “taken longer than we’d have liked” to sort problems.
It comes as a water leak underneath the bathtub was revealed to be the cause of “some additional damp”.
Dean first started reporting issues to Yorkshire Housing after their clothes and mattress became “wet through”.
But he claims efforts to fix the problem have not worked, despite following Yorkshire Housing’s requests to wipe windows down five times daily and let items like tea towels dry outside.
Their son now sleeps in the living room whilst mould spores can be seen across walls and ceilings.
Jo said: “It’s destroyed our lives. It’s destroyed us as a family.
“My son lives in the living room because he can’t sleep in the bedroom as it’s too wet. We’re constantly stressed. It’s horrible.
“My husband’s breathing is horrendous. It sounds like he’s drowning on a night. My son, he sneezes so much. He’s been off with colds so many times, we’re getting the school on our back.
“We have no family life. We’re divided. We’ve got nowhere we can sit together as one, that’s the hardest thing I’d say. It doesn’t feel like we’ve got a family.
“It's just we feel like we’ve lost our time with him. I don’t want him to hear what we’re talking about all the time. It’s so hard when nobody’s hearing us. Nobody’s wanting to help. We’re just sat here like what have we done to deserve this, what have we done?”
Dean added: “They’ve just ignored us and ignored us so long.
“You get to the point where you stop tidying up. You stop looking after yourself. You stop caring because you just think, what’s the point? Our quality of life since moving into this property, it’s just been destroyed.”
Suzanne Wicks, executive director customer experience at Yorkshire Housing, said: “We’re really sorry to hear about the problems Mr Bradley has been having with his home. We’ve been working with him to put things right as quickly as we can.
“Our surveyors have visited Mr Bradley each time he’s reported damp in his home, and we have carried out a number of repairs following each visit, this has included installing a new ventilation system, treating the damp and mould, and redecorating the affected areas.
"We have also given guidance on how to reduce excess moisture in the home, provided a dehumidifier and covered the running costs to help with this.
“We have also supported Mr Bradley so he is able to heat his home and offered additional help through our money and tenancy coaching teams.
“During our most recent inspection we found a leak under the bath had caused some additional damp. This should have been picked up earlier and has now been fixed.
"To put things right we’re in the process of installing a new adapted bathroom suite and have paid for Mr Bradley and his family to spend some time away from their home while we do this.
“We’re spending £20 million upgrading our homes over the next year. As part of this work we’ll be installing new windows and doors to Mr Bradley’s home which will make it warmer and more comfortable.
“Mr Bradley instructed independent legal representation and we have been liaising with them directly in relation to his claim. We have since reached an agreement and his claim has been settled in full.
“Yorkshire Housing take all reports of damp and mould extremely seriously. We’ve recently changed our approach to dealing with damp and mould and now have a dedicated team to respond to reports quickly.
“We understand it’s been a difficult time and we’re sorry it’s taken longer than we’d have liked to get things sorted. We’ll continue to support Mr Bradley and his family any way that we can.”
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