Three years of housing misery for Paisley family

May 8 2009 by Alison Rennie, Paisley Daily Express

A MUM has slammed council bosses for taking THREE YEARS to sort our her leaky house.

Aileen Guthrie lives in the three-bedroom council house with her husband David, 45, four-year-old son Luke, and her two nieces Sarah, 21, and Janey, 29, who has cerebral palsy.

They moved into their home on Abbotsford Crescent, Foxbar, in April 2006 and started having problems with damp walls and carpets.

She contacted Renfrewshire Council’s housing department and they sent a surveyor to assess the problem.

But they decided the problem was condensation and despite Aileen, 42, pinpointing her bathroom as the source of the water, council bosses insisted on resealing her windows every time.

The leaky problem is so bad workers are re-cladding the front of the house and are having to replace internal walls in Aileen’s bedroom and hallway.

She said: “I told the council the problem was coming from my bathroom but they didn’t listen. They kept telling me it was condensation and re-sealed my windows.

“Now it has got so bad that there are workmen out re-cladding the front of my house and they need to take down part of my bedroom wall and hallway. It’s all through the house. I had to phone an emergency plumber because my bedroom carpet was soaking.

“I’m worried the council will tell me to claim for this through my insurance. It’s their fault the problem got so bad. The house is like a bombsite and it’s gone on long enough. The water is set to be cut off to the house while repairs are made and Aileen has applied for emergency respite for Janey.

She said: “We’re not going to have water for about four days which is awful. Janie doesn’t have good mobility and it’s difficult to get her wheelchair around the house when the carpet is so damp. I have asthma and the dampness isn’t good for my condition.

“I’m a fishmonger and my husband is a carer so we both really need a shower when we get home after work. I’m being fobbed off by the council.”

A Renfrewshire Council spokeswoman said: “We sympathise with Mrs Guthrie. However, the source of the problem has been identified and work on a full repair to the property has started.

“The council has arranged alternative accommodation for the tenants in order this work can be completed as quickly as possible and with as little inconvenience as possible.”