A DESPERATE mum who says her two young kids are “constantly sick” due to extreme damp and persistent mould has demanded that her council condemn the property.
Katie Byrne, who lives in a maisonette in Sallynoggin, south Dublin, said her house has been left “completely empty” after she was forced to chuck out pots, clothes and furniture “destroyed” by the horrendous conditions.
The mum-of-two, who previously worked as a cleaner, scrubs the house daily, constantly opens windows to air the property out and even forked out cash for a tumble dryer – but the mould continues to creep through the home.
She told The Irish Sun: “I’ve been a great tenant. My house was stunning.
“But it’s completely empty now because of all the stuff that has been destroyed by the damp and the mould.
“My pots are mouldy. We had to throw stuff out. If you had to throw stuff out that you’ve brought in [the council] says they’re sorry.
“And this is the argument that I have with them on a daily basis. It’s very frustrating. And it’s very degrading.”
Katie told how both her health and the health of her five-year-old son and 10-year-old daughter has suffered greatly after years of living in damp conditions.
Her daughter has suffered from 14 perforated eardrums within the past two years – including three over the Easter break alone.
Katie’s son, who is currently being assessed for autism, is a chronic asthmatic.
The doting mum said: “My son was born into the house. I know for a fact that if we weren’t living in that house, he wouldn’t be asthmatic.”
Katie herself was recently admitted into hospital with double pneumonia, adding: “There’s costs to all of this.”
The US Centre for Disease Control and Prevention says recent studies have suggested mould exposure could lead to the development of asthma in some children.
A number of reports outlining the conditions in the home have been made to Dún Laoghaire Rathdown County Council.
The HSE’s multi-disciplinary team working with Katie’s son wrote to the council, citing mould and damp, anti-social behaviour, fire safety concerns and rats as difficulties facing the family in their current home.
Katie added: “I have an anxiety disorder and I suffer terrible with depression and a report was sent down to the council. It was just put on my file, it wasn’t read or anything.
“My son attends Le Chéile Mentoring in Dún Laoghaire and there was another report sent down for him, because he is the process of being assessed for autism.
“My daughter’s school also said how much it has been impacting her education. But there’s still nothing [from the council], not even a phone call to say the paperwork has been acknowledged.”
Beds have had to be replaced. Sofas have had to be replaced. I’ve had to replace some of these things so my grandchildren have beds. Even plates have had to be replaced.”
Louise Byrne, Katie’s mum
Katie said the conditions of the home are having a “huge impact” on her family, adding that she had to leave her job due to the amount of sick days she was forced to take for herself and the kids.
She told us: “It’s just a huge worry, and on my mother and my sister.
“They’re constantly coming up, they’re constantly asking me to come down and stay with them. Because it’s too much on us. And with the kids as well, there’s no room to play.
“They can’t have friends over. I’m too embarrassed to have anyone in my house.
“And I’ve tried everything, I’ve went to the papers, I’ve been on radio, I’ve been on RTE News and nothing’s coming back.
“They’ve openly admitted that they’re substandard houses.”
Katie added: “Our kids can’t fight. They’re on the edge. We have to fight for our children. I don’t care if I was left there on my own with my partner. But my kids are being affected by this.
“It’s constant crying to me, day in, day out. ‘Mam, this isn’t fair. Why can’t such and such have a sleepover tonight?’
“Because I don’t want them in my house. It’s mouldy. I don’t want to make another child sick.
“You just want a home. It’s impacting my mental health so badly.”
WHAT EFFECT CAN MOULD HAVE ON HEALTH?
WHEN it manifests, damp is dangerous for our health.
It can cause respiratory illnesses, allergies and asthma as the fungus spores are released in their thousands into the atmosphere.
Common ailments are sneezing, a runny nose, red eyes and skin rashes, but moulds can also affect the immune system and trigger more serious problems.
At first, mould toxins may not cause any harm at low levels. But if they are consistently in the air, it starts to cause side effects.
People who live in homes with mould are more likely to:
- Have respiratory problems
- Respiratory infections
- Allergies
- Asthma, including asthma attacks
- Problems with the immune system
Babies and young children are at particular risk of health effects from mould.
Those with respiratory conditions, such as asthma and certain allergies, tend to be worse affected, as are people with skin conditions, such as atopic eczema, and those with weakened immune systems.
A solicitor who wanted to take the case on had gotten in contact with Katie and sent a private engineer down to her property in the hopes of bringing the issue to court.
But Katie said there has been “no contact whatsoever” since the the engineering report was sent down by the solicitor and served to the council.
Katie first moved into the then “freshly painted” pad on Pearse Street seven years ago, but the problem didn’t show up until around one year after she became a tenant.
She explained: “It started off in the big room down at the bottom of the room at the floor.
“And then we started to notice it in the hall. It was coming in around the doorway.
“It was in the kitchen presses then, there were mushrooms in the bathroom. It was just everywhere.”
Katie said there also issues when she’s boiling food.
‘NO ACCOUNTABILITY FROM COUNCIL’
She explained: “My kitchen is a scullery. Very, very small. The council put in an extractor fan. The extractor fan doesn’t work.
“So, when I’m cooking things that boil, the condensation runs down the walls into the plug sockets. A few months ago a plug socket blew on the wall and left scorch marks.
“And this was the reason why they brought up the extractor fan – but the extractor fan doesn’t work.”
Katie said there will be “long-lasting effects” of the conditions, adding that she’s worried – even if she does get moved by the council – that her two children or herself may have some sort of lung disease as a result of the mould.
She added: “There’s no accountability from the council. You’re getting passed from pillar to post all the time.
“If I ring Dun Laoghaire Rathdown Council I’ll be on to maintenance and they’ll say, ‘oh it’s not our issue, we’ll pass you on to allocation. It’s not our issue, we’ll pass you on to rent’.
“There’s no actual person that will sit down and talk to you and say, right Katie, this is the plan going forward.
“They won’t do anything about the situation of families living in the maisonette flats.”
PAYMENT PAIN
Katie has fallen into around €1,000 of rent arrears with the council and is paying extra back each week in an effort to catch up – adding that she has been told there will be no offer of alternative accommodation until she has paid it back.
But her worried mum blasted the council for not waiving the arrears, telling how Katie has spent thousands fighting the mould in her house.
Louise Byrne said: “It’s an ultimatum type of thing, which is ridiculous.
“She has got about a thousand euro or thereabouts in rent arrears and, where I’m coming from is she’s thrown more of that out because of the state of the house that she’s living in.
“Beds have had to be replaced. Sofas have had to be replaced. I’ve had to replace some of these things so my grandchildren have beds. Even plates have had to be replaced.
“I want those arrears waived because she wouldn’t even be in those arrears if she didn’t have to replace furniture.”
PROTEST ACTION
Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council said it is currently progressing a redevelopment plan for the affected properties.
A spokesperson said: “Whilst we are at an early stage in this process, we are engaging with individual tenants where issues have arisen in their properties with a view to arranging transfers where necessary.
“Inspections have been carried out on properties and offers of alternative accommodation have been made to some of the tenants.
“Discussions have also taken place with some tenants around the eligibility for transfer.”
Katie has not been offered alternative accommodation and, when asked, Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council said offers are not made to tenants who are in arrears – no matter the circumstances.
A spokesperson said: “As per our Housing Allocations Scheme 2021, tenants with arrears are not eligible for transfer.”
The Community Action Tenants Union will hold a public meeting at the green on Pearse Park in Sallynoggin on June 28 at midday to plan a campaign to fight for better conditions in the area.
A protest planned by the CATU will take place on July 7 outside the Dún Laoghaire Rathdown County Council offices.
Katie has urged everyone in Sallynoggin and its surrounding areas to “come together” to demand for change and protest, adding: “The bigger the better”.
