Skelton: Anger at damp and mould in Yorkshire Housing property

And she has criticised Yorkshire Housing – which manages the property – for not doing enough to fix the problems.

Kay Hebbron moved into the two-bedroom semi-detached home in Skelton in June 2023 and said she has been reporting problems with the property to Yorkshire Housing since then.

A broken radiator in the Skelton home (Image: Supplied)

Yorkshire Housing’s director of homes apologised for the “unacceptable” service Ms Hebbron received and said outstanding work will be completed this week.

Ms Hebbron said the home has central heating but its radiators are ineffective.

Mould on the wall in Ms Hebbron's son's room next to his bed (Image: Supplied)

The 35-year-old, who lives at the property with her 15-year-old son, added that her home is poorly insulated and heat escapes through gaps in doors and walls.

Ms Hebbron said she and her son use electric blankets to stay warm when temperatures drop.

In the kitchen water drips down walls and cupboards are so damp that items inside like spices solidify and must be replaced regularly, she said.

Mould covers the wall next to her son’s bed as well as skirting boards and doors throughout the property, she added.

Water drips down the wall in the kitchen of the Skelton home (Image: Supplied)

“It’s just an absolute state with damp and mould everywhere.”

Ms Hebbron, who works from home for the Schools Network, claimed she has made numerous reports to Yorkshire Housing about the damp and mould but nothing has been done to fix it.

Mould on a window in the Skelton home (Image: Supplied)

She added that a surveyor told her it would cost £30,000 to bring the home up to an EPC rating of C.

Ms Hebbron’s rent is currently priced at £648 per month but is rising to £712 in April.

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And she said she is on a temporary year long contract (ending in June) so cannot move or swap to a different property until then.

“I wish I never moved in – I have put so much effort into the house,” she said.

A gap in the wall behind a radiator in the Skelton home leading outside where heat escapes (Image: Supplied)

“I’d like to move out but I can’t do a swap until I have been here a year.

 “I want everything fixed completely. Then the house will be worth paying for.”

Work will be carried out this week, say Yorkshire Housing

After The Press put Ms Hebbron’s claims to Yorkshire Housing, Liz O’Connor, director of homes at the housing association, told us: “We’ve visited Ms Hebbron today (Tuesday, March 19) at her home and apologised for the unacceptable service she has received and for the distress this has caused her and her family. 

“Since she first reported problems with her home, we’ve carried out a full survey and completed a number of repairs, including installing a new extractor fan and an initial treatment of the mould.

Mould on floorboards in the Skelton home (Image: Supplied)

"Unfortunately, some of the work identified during the survey wasn't carried out when it should have been.  

“We’re investigating why this happened and will be completing all the outstanding work this week.

“This isn’t the standard we expect and we’re committed to putting things right and learning from what went wrong so that this doesn't happen again.”