Tenants want action on damp Christchurch social housing units

Monday, 23 April 2018

Tipora Grennell is freezing in his mouldy Christchurch City Council flat.

Tipora Grennell says he 'wouldn't put an animal' in his council-owned flat.

Mould covers doors, curtains, walls and ceilings in the dark, cold single-bedroom concrete block unit, neighbouring million-dollar homes in an affluent Christchurch street.

The smell of dampness remains late in the morning of a sunny, mild Autumn day and it is at least eight degrees warmer outside than in.

The door in Tipora Grennell's Christchurch City Council-owned unit, a block building that gets little sun, is black with mould.

'I cannot get rid of all the mould and condensation. I've got an electric blanket but I don't use it because I'm scared, it gets so damp [that] I might get electrocuted,' he said.

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Tipora Grennell, 63, is freezing in his mouldy council flat and says the Ōtautahi Community Housing Trust won't do anything about it.

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Margaret Ashby, 80, is confident her property manager will replace her stove, which sits in the middle of her kitchen.

'Most of the time the place is dark and cold, in summer and winter. You just don't get any sunlight. It's not fit for a human being.'

He has tried to have the Ōtautahi Community Housing Trust (OCHT), which manages the Christchurch City Council's social housing, move him to a warmer upstairs unit at the Pickering Courts complex he has called home for five years. At least two are vacant.

Joanne Bradbury believes the block walls at her Pickering Courts flat make it difficult to heat, meaning she is always battling mould and condensation.

Grennell is one of several in the 25-unit complex feeling the cold year-round. Others are satisfied with the warmth of their homes.

Marlena Hunt moved to a ground floor unit just weeks ago after about two years living upstairs at the complex. Her new unit was just as warm, she said.

Mould covers the roller blind over Grennell's kitchen window.

'I don't feel the problem as much as some people … some of the flats are cold downstairs but it's just how you address it.'

Joanne Bradbury said she was 'constantly battling' mould spots and damp conditions. She had a dehumidifier but no longer cooked on her stove because it added to the problem.

Bradbury had put an electric blanket on her couch in an attempt to stay warm. She regularly cleaned condensation and mould spots but could not stave off the cold and dampness.

A panel heater, installed in the units by OCHT last year, failed to sufficiently warm her home, she said.

'It wouldn't even get the room up to 20 degrees.'

On Monday, Margaret Ashby, 80, told her landlord about broken rubber window seals and gaps in her door, which let wind blow through her flat.

She had spoken to the property manager when they had visited the units, regarding rent increases for residents.

In January, Grennell's doctor wrote a letter to the trust explaining his need for warm and dry accommodation. He had undergone surgery on his leg and the cold made the pain and his arthritis worse.

Last week, he received a letter from an unnamed OCHT placement advisor.

'Ōtautahi Community Housing Trust consider you are adequately housed and have no serious need to relocate,' it read.

Grennell, who is awaiting sentencing after pleading guilty to drink driving in March, said he and other residents of the complex had requested heat pumps be installed.

OCHT chief executive Cate Kearney said the trust worked with Community Energy Action (CEA) – a charity that works with low-income earners on energy efficiency – when deciding on the heating.

'CEA recommend that panel heaters provide a more effective heat for units of this type of construction,' she said.

'We understand some tenants have decided not to use the new form of heating, but we have had positive feedback from tenants who have.'

Grennell said he thought heat pumps would 'dry the whole place out'.

The Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority lists heat pumps as the most efficient source of residential heating. Electric heaters are second-least efficient, ahead of only LPG gas heaters.

Kearney said the block construction of the units meant they were not as efficient to heat as newer units.

'Where we have identified any mould or mildew in units during routine inspections we have discussed this with tenants individually.'