Politics
My living room ceiling collapsed just feet away from my son after our landlord refused to fix leak for years
A COUPLE’s living room ceiling collapsed just feet away from their son after their landlord refused to fix a leak.
Kelly Collinson and Michael Strudwich claim water poured into their home for more than two years before the terrifying narrow escape.
A couple’s ceiling collapsed just feet away from their sonKelly Collinson and Michael Stru
Kelly Collinson and Michael Strudwich claim their landlord refused to fix a leak for two years before the narrow escapeKelly Collinson and Michael Stru
When the roof finally buckled on April 7, it almost hit their little boy, leaving him “very anxious and upset”.
Kelly said he “didn’t want to sleep in the house that night” – and they are still stuck living in the privately rented “nightmare” house as they are apparently not a priority for rehoming.
The mum-of-three told WalesOnline: “This could have been so much worse, I can’t imagine what would have happened if my son was sitting just two feet closer to the window.
“The house and all of our clothes are destroyed.
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“We have tried to decorate the house to make it a family home for our kids and everything keeps getting ruined.
“We don’t know what’s happening, we feel unsafe, stressed and angry.”
The family, who have lived in the property in Gelli, Rhondda, since 2016, say the dripping started in early 2020.
They repeatedly warned their landlord that their bowing ceiling could collapse at any minute, but found themselves getting nowhere.
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Kelly then alerted the council to the issue, as well as damp and black mould in the house, and things were finally resolved, but the mum thinks it took far too long.
She added: “Upstairs my son’s room is riddled with damp, our room has black mould.
“All of our cupboards are lined with black mould which is ruining all our furniture and our clothes. Even the walls are soaking to touch.”
The landlord disputes the couple’s claims that he was slow to rectify the issues, insisting the roof was fixed within two days of becoming damaged.
He said: “The roof was reported and we have had numerous roofers attend the property and do the work which is not always easy as the tenant will not allow entry.
“On the last issue, with the roof leaking, it was reported during the severe weather and we had our roofer was there within 24 hours.
“Two new roofs were put on within a week. “
A spokesperson for Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council said: “The Improvement Notice was served on the owner of {the property} on March 9, 2022.
“During the assessment, a Category 1 Hazard ‘Damp and Mould’ and Category 2 hazard ‘Structural Collapse and Falling Elements’ were identified.
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“An Improvement Notice has been served to remedy the hazards identified within the property to reduce the significant risk to the health and safety of any occupants or their regular visitors to an acceptable level within a reasonable and defined period.
“It was considered an Improvement Notice was the most appropriate action to deal with the hazards identified in the property.”
Kelly Collinson and Michael StruThe bowing ceiling before it caved in[/caption]
Kelly Collinson and Michael StruThe property is also riddled with damp and mould[/caption]
Kelly Collinson and Michael StruWater seeping from the cracks in the ceiling[/caption]
Kelly Collinson and Michael StruThe family are desperate to be rehomed but have been told they are not a priority[/caption]
Kelly Collinson and Michael StruMould at the bottom of one of their wardrobes[/caption]
