'Our homes make us ill' say social housing tenants

A woman who took part in a protest over the state of social housing has said her two children are "terrified" to be in their own home due to the condition of the property.

Natalie, 46, who lives on the Langley estate in Middleton, was among the groups demonstrating outside a housing conference at the Manchester Central exhibition centre.

She said her children had suffered breathing problems because of damp at her home and called on her landlord Riverside Housing Association to take action.

A spokesman for the provider said it had invested £3m on improving homes in the estate, but knew "there is much more to be done".

Natalie, who did not want to give her surname, said she had to be rushed to hospital with a collapsed lung at one point and a specialist told her this was due to the condition of the property.

She told BBC Radio Manchester it was "absolutely disgusting" that her family still lived in the property, which has been infested with rats since March, despite their complaints.

She said her children refused to sleep in their own beds and were "terrified to live in their own home", adding that her daughter has autism and "cries every night".

"Why should my little girl be absolutely terrified? A child should feel safe in their own home," she said.

The Riverside spokesman said £3m had been spent on new kitchens, boilers, window and roof replacements on the estate, alongside £1.3m on insulation and ventilation in more than 200 homes.

A dedicated damp and mould team had also been set up to "prioritise cases and ensure we act quickly and decisively," they added.

Becky, 35, who also lives on the estate, said her daughter had been in hospital with multiple skin lesions caused by what a dermatologist said was the condition of their home.

She said they had been in temporary accommodation for nearly a year and "my daughter is now healthy again, miraculously".

Becky said they did not want to return to their property and the stress of the situation had caused her to come out of work.

"We are still on lifelong medication because of that house," she said.

Middleton Tenants Union, part of the Greater Manchester Tenants Union (GMTU), said it had been challenging Riverside for two years over 20 similar cases involving children exposed to damp and mould.

They said Riverside's senior management team was refusing to meet with the union to discuss the cases and were instead directing tenants to the Housing Ombudsman.

Riverside said it remains "open to having transparent and constructive dialogue with GMTU and have met with them a number of times over the last two years".

Kirby Hoyle, from the union, said the conditions were not fair on the families.

She said she was supporting tenants whose properties had rat infestations, damp, mould, asbestos, "general wear and tear", leaks and "roofs falling in".

Riverside said customers had been invited to meet "one on one, or with GMTU as a tenant advocate.

"We know we don't always get things right and are sorry if there are occasions when we have let customers down, we always ensure we put things right and learn from any failures", it added.

Listen to the best of BBC Radio Manchester on Sounds and follow BBC Manchester on Facebook, X, and Instagram. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230.