A disabled man living in a controversial office block conversion has said he is struggling to breathe due to severe damp and mould in his flat. Terry Boyce who moved into the property at Imperial Apartments over four years ago has multiple medical conditions and takes 46 tablets a day.
But the 50-year-old claims that his asthma, long-Covid and poor immune system have become worse as a result of his living conditions and he has gone from being able to take his children outside to play, to becoming out of breath from putting on his shoes.
Despite his complaints about the property over the last ten weeks, Caridon Property Group, which own the apartment complex in South Bristol, has not yet resolved the issue. There are 465 units of private rented accommodation at Imperial Apartments and Bristol City Council rent out 316 of them, more than two-thirds of the total.
Due to the extent of the mould he says he can no longer safely eat in his flat and has thrown away clothes and packed the remainder in boxes. He also told Bristol Live his three children are no longer able to visit him at home like they used to.
Initially an attempt was made to treat the damp and mould by using a spray, but Mr Boyce said it only resulted in the mould coming back but ‘worse’. Caridon has made attempts to drain water from under the building in an attempt to treat the issue, but this has not resolved the ongoing issues in his flat and the building.
Mr Boyce told Bristol Live: “It’s disgusting, it’s making me ill. In my bedroom the mould and damp is over two feet up the wall. It’s like I don’t matter, I wake up in the morning all blocked up and I end up gagging and being sick.
“I can’t even have my kids visiting here at the moment because I’m worried the mould will make them ill. There is black mould coming from the sewage heaters which is really disgusting. I’ve had to chuck out blankets and duvets because they were all covered in mould.
“I shouldn’t even be in here but when I speak to the management here they say, ‘everyone has problems’. It feels like all they want to do is cover it up.
“I know other people have got similar problems and it is an ongoing problem in this place, there was even water coming through one of the stairways the other day. Nothing was done about it so the water was going straight through the floor.”
Mr Boyce made a formal complaint to Caridon on September 4, and contacted the Imperial Apartments business manager and head office through multiple emails and provided photographic evidence of the problem. Mr Boyce then received a letter last week stating that a contractor would visit him in his flat in the ‘morning hours’ of Monday, September 16, but he says no one showed up at his flat.
The letter from Caridon Group seen by Bristol Live, which was sent out to several tenants in the building on September 12, added: “I would like to apologise about the ongoing drainage smell in the hallway around your flats. We are sincerely working hard to resolve the difficulties you are experiencing as a result [of] this. Some properties are also experiencing damp and mould which we are also taking seriously.”
Caridon Group has been contacted for additional comment.
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